SAN ANTONIO – It's been a year since the San Antonio Police Department formally partnered with the Nextdoor app.
Since then, hundreds of neighborhoods in the city signed up for the app.
Nextdoor representatives said Wednesday that San Antonio is one of the fastest growing cities in the country in terms of the number of people using the app.
Patricia Garcia Duarte has lived in the King William neighborhood for more than 22 years. She said the app has helped to connect her neighbors.
"Through the Nextdoor app, we are able to communicate," Duarte said. "We make sure they are calling the police and share with our neighbors, 'Hey, did you see that on Nextdoor? There's a suspicious person,' or whatever the crime situation is. So everyone is on the lookout."
In May of 2015, there were a string of robberies and assaults in the King William area, but Duarte said she feels that the Nextdoor app has helped curb the crime.
"People are on there (the app) all the time," said Cherise Bell, King William Association's executive director. "'Did you see that guy? Take a picture.' (The pictures) are often blurry and racing down the street."
On Wednesday, the San Antonio Police Department marked the one year anniversary of their partnership with Nextdoor.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said residents posting pictures, videos and verbal warnings all makes a difference.
"Every bit of information that goes over that app is helpful," McManus said. "It's helpful to neighbors. It's helpful to police. Some of it's good for identifying people that may be up to no good."
Since the San Antonio Police Department partnered with Nextdoor last year, there's been a 58 percent increase in membership.
There are more than 700 San Antonio neighborhoods on Nextdoor, which is 80 percent of all the neighborhoods throughout the city.
Bell said she is hoping that residents in King William who haven't signed up for Nextdoor will see the benefits of the app and join.
"I feel safe in the neighborhood," Bell said. "We are an urban neighborhood, so of course, crime does occur. I think what's best about Nextdoor is that we have gotten people to call the police."