Internet buyers and sellers in Monaca, Pa.,  now have a safe place in the borough to exchange items.

Monaca Council on Tuesday approved creating a safe drop zone at the municipal building for Craigslist shoppers and Facebook sellers to meet. The space can also be used for safe custody exchanges.

Read more here.

The  Randolph County (Ill.) Sheriff’s Office is offering its front lobby as a safe space for internet purchases.

Buyers and sellers can complete online transactions in the lobby 24 hours a day. However, firearm transactions are not permitted in the lobby.

The front parking lot of the building is also under video surveillance for those wanting to make a deal on a larger item, such as a car.

​Read more here.

To counter the increase in violent crimes during meetings to conduct online transactions, San Diego is joining other cities across the country by designating parking spots outside police stations for buyers and sellers to complete online transactions. 

The police station in Rancho Peñasquitos  is the first of its kind in the county.

While officers do not actively monitor the transactions, the well-lit, marked parking spaces are monitored by surveillance cameras 24 hours a day. And they are in clear view of the front doors of the Northeastern Division station, at 13396 Salmon Road. 

​Read more here.

The Moreno Valley (Calif.) Police Department has set up a Swap Zone in the Police Department parking lot  to provide residents with another option to buy and sell items.

The new site at 22850 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos in Moreno Valley offers distinct signage and is monitored by a Citywide Camera to record transaction.

​See more here.

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office will start an “Internet Safe Exchange Zone” in San Mateo County this week. 

The exchange zone is at the Maple Street Correctional Center in Redwood City, one of the safest buildings in the Peninsula. The new state-of-the-art jail has 24-hour video surveillance, has a heavy law enforcement presence and is across the street from the Redwood City Police Department.
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San Mateo County is one of the first in California to implement the exchange zone. 

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In an effort to protect residents from becoming victims of robberies, thefts and fraud, the Hammond, Ind., Police Department has created a "safe-exchange space" at the department, 509 Douglas St. 

A green sign in the department's east parking lot designates a “Meetup Spot" for people buying and selling online goods, Police Chief John Doughty said.

Offerup.com, a website that helps people connect when selling and buying items over the internet, donated the sign, Doughty said. 

​Read more here.

To reduce instances of crimes occurring during online transactions, the Anderson County, S.C. Sheriff's Office has teamed up with SafeTrade.

The sheriff's office has designated two parking spots at the front left of its parking lot as "SafeTrade Zones," where buyers and sellers can conduct transactions at a location under surveillance from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Read more here.

The Calaveras County (Calif.) Sheriff’s Office has designated two parking spaces in its public parking area as a “Safe Trading Zone” for people who want to buy or sell items but are worried about their safety.

The location is in the Sheriff’s Office parking lot at 1045 Jeff Tuttle Drive in San Andreas. Buyers and sellers will find the parking spaces on the right side as they exit the parking lot. There is an identifying sign at the two parking spaces.

The parking lot is well-lit and monitored by video surveillance cameras 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, the Sheriff's Office recommends that transactions be made during daylight hours.

Read more here.

Police in Fremont, Calif.,  have set up an “exchange zone” at the police department's front parking lot so people can meet there to buy or sell items posted on Craigslist and other online sites in safety.

Two parking spaces in the lot have been marked with yellow lines and signs that let people know the area is video- and audio-recorded 24 hours a day.
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Police officers will not be stationed at the parking lots to oversee exchanges and won’t be monitoring the video and audio live. Police recommend that transactions take place between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, which coincides with business hours of when the front desk is open.

Read more here.