MATTHEWS, N.C. -- In a tucked-away Matthews neighborhood, crooks broke into a home during the middle of the day last week and stole thousands of dollars worth of items.

The incident was bad news for the homeowners, but it gave police a chance to use a brand new tool.

They sent out alerts through e-mails and text messages to neighbors, including Lori Hallman.

"It's scary to think that could happen. It could happen to anybody, but in the middle of the day, it raises the awareness of it," she said.

Matthews police just started using the system about a month ago and already 1,100 people have signed up.

Eyewitness News has learned Shelby, Cornelius and Huntersville police are also now onboard with the system.

Matthews police Officer Stason Tyrrell helped to bring the nationwide program to the area. He said it costs less than $50 a month and it's the taxpayers who foot the bill, but he called the tool invaluable.

"With today's day and age, with everybody using text messaging and e-mail systems, we wanted to find a system that targeted that type of communication," he said.

The goal is to get all 28,000 people in Matthews registered to receive the e-mails or text messages.

Several Matthews residents said they didn't know about the system until Eyewitness News told them about it Thursday, but now they plan to look into it.

"When you hear about crime in your neighborhood, if I hear something, I can immediately take action. If I hear something, I can look around in my neighborhood," said Lisa Denny.

LINK: Sign Up For The Matthews Alerts

LINK: Sign Up For The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Alerts