Police Set up Safe Havens for Online Transactions

[question everything]

Concerned about robberies, scams and killings tied to purchases arranged through Craigslist and other online marketplaces, police and sheriff’s departments nationwide are carving out areas of their stations for people to complete transactions.

At least 70 departments in the U.S., from Boca Raton, Fla., to Bedford, Texas, have created such zones, usually in parking lots or lobbies, according to websites that track the programs. Though the trend began several years ago, it has taken off in recent months, authorities say.

The areas, sometimes dubbed “safe zones” or “safe havens,” deter criminals by virtue of their location on law-enforcement property that is under constant video surveillance, supporters say. Skeptics, however, are concerned that departments are opening themselves to liability if a transaction goes awry. Officials in participating cities say they felt compelled to act because of problems in their jurisdictions or high-profile murders elsewhere.

(snip)

In Whitestown, Ind., city leaders became alarmed after the 2013 robbery and killing of an Indianapolis man responding to a Craigslist ad listing an iPad for sale, said town manager Dax Norton. “What really put it over the edge,” he said, were the January robbery and killings of a Georgia couple seeking to buy a car through Craigslist. In February, Whitestown officials made the lobby and parking lot of the municipal complex available for people to complete online sales. They also offered to make police officers available at transactions or to check vehicle identification numbers of cars to ensure they aren’t stolen.

More..

http://www.wsj.com/articles/police-set-up-safe-havens-for-online-transactions-1433719677

[Egnever]

1. Seems like a decent idea

As long as it doesn't become and excuse to harass either the sellers or the buyers.

[NCTraveler]

4. The area I live in there is zero interaction with law enforcement.

They have a corner of the parking lot marked for the meets. If they interfere or use it to attract people in a sting, it will lose its current status as a safe place. I can see them doing just that but they haven't in this area yet.

[Ghost in the Machine]

2. This is a good thing, even though I have never had a bad experience meeting people from craigslist

and completing transactions. I've bought 2 different lawn mowers and an XBOX that I went and picked up. Bought a 4 wheeler that was delivered to my house, traded a different 4 wheeler for a Jeep where I delivered the 4 wheeler and my son drove the other Jeep home. Traded a car with cash to boot, and sold my tractor and a tow dolly at different times and the people drove to my house to get them. The man who bought my tractor lived about 8 miles from me, and he drove it to his house while I followed him home, where we did the bill of sale and I collected my cash.

Peace,

Ghost

[NCTraveler]

3. They did this in Pinellas County about two years ago.

It works for those aware of it. I do a lot of online garage sales and it is a great safe place to make transactions.