The power of social media is changing how residents can take control of their neighborhoods from criminals and delinquents.

Turlock resident and mother Dani Love has launched an inventive new take on neighborhood watches in Turlock. Using Facebook and social media, Love launched the Turlock Neighborhood Watch page on Facebook last Friday night after a scary, disturbing assault on an elderly woman in her otherwise safe neighborhood.

She says this assault quickly transformed her usually cheerful neighborhood into a desolate ghost town with residents living in fear. But Love refuses to let criminals to dictate how she and her neighbors live their lives.

The Facebook page already more than 105 members.

Originally a long-time resident of Hollister, Love thought of the webpage after witnessing the positive impacts of a similar Facebook page in her hometown entitled “Hollister Neighborhood Watch.”

Recently the Hollister Neighborhood Watch helped to locate a German Shephard that viciously attacked a 12-year-old girl. The girl’s mother posted the incident on the Facebook page and KION Fox 35 Central Coast News reported that the post received 205 comments and led the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department to locate the dog’s owner.

Love says the watch page makes perfect sense, “because after all, Facebook is what everyone is constantly checking,” she said. “It is by all means NOT an alternative to calling the police when something is going on but it is the perfect way to warn one another and have each others backs!”

While no other incidents have occurred in Love’s neighborhood over the past several days, Love praises the watch page for its community news and information sharing.

Today alone page members have posted information about reported West Nile Virus cases, activities and events in Turlock and the area, and numerous comments on media reports in Turlock.

Turlock Neighborhood Watch members are praising the page with comments.

Turlock resident Marissa Romero was the first to post positive remarks, writing, “Great idea guys we need this!! There’s a lot of bad stuff here in town and people should know.”

Love posted the page’s first comment. “In my hometown they have a neighborhood watch that is VERY efficient and really keeps the community informed on what's going on in the town and has actually helped the community a whole lot. I'm hoping that this page will do the same!! So feel free to post anything that is going on in our town that can make us feel a little more safe and secure…”