Police Set up Safe Havens for Online Transactions [View all]

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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.

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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.

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