Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) has been a traditional policing strategy utilized by law enforcement agencies for decades. Community oriented policing is loosely defined as a policing philosophy that emphasizes the creation of community partnerships and proactive problem solving to address the causal effects of crime.  The intended result of this policing philosophy is that by developing and supporting community connections, crime, as well as the fear of crime, decreases.

The Sacramento Police Department has taken one of the key tenants of COPPS which is community connection and engagement, to a higher level by embracing geographic policing and Nextdoor. Nextdoor is a new social network that brings neighbors together and provides tools for police to communicate directly with residents in geographically defined neighborhoods. It is a social media platform that also acts as a “virtual neighborhood watch” in which neighbors collaborate with each other.