We Have A Safe Zone For In-Person Pickup
Hey all. Our local police department has announced that they have established a safe zone for exchanges involving online sales or for custody swaps for children. Complete with video surveillance. Pretty cool!
35 comments
bennotbill
·1 year agoMaybe it's just me but that empty space doesn't look safe to me. A cafe or a library somewhere with people around is safer. A camera won't stop you getting mugged.
Good only for after the fact as they say in law enforcement.
chapeau-noir
·1 year ago"Complete with video surveillance." Seems like getting mugged in a cafe and getting mugged at a police station might result in two different outcomes.
bennotbill
·1 year agoYou can have a nice cup of coffee in the cafe afterwards.
chapeau-noir
·11 months agoReminds me of an 18th century definition of duelling "Pistols for two and coffee for one".
adamcartwright
·1 year agoI hope these types of parking spaces don't provide anyone with a false sense of security.
We had a horrific incident right in front of Santa Monica City Hall some years back -- a custody exchange gone wrong and the child orphaned.
keziak
·1 year agoSome police departments in Northern virginia have this service including my town. I buy a lot on Marketplace and so often people suggest meeting at a big store with a big parking lot which makes for issues simply to find each other. I often say what small store is nearby, let' s meet there. A lot of times it's just going to people's houses though. My only concern is the baying hounds who go ballistic at the doorbell and have to be dragged away by the owner. I have met a few nice cats though.
richard1rst
·1 year agoAh, c'mon - they're just doing their job.
Dogs are the best kind of people - they never steal from you, they never lie to you, they never cheat on you and they will defend you to the death against all odds.
Did any one see the film clip on the news the other day of a little Pommie chasing a bear out of the house? 1000 to one by weight - the dog never flinched.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/pets-animals/dog/2025/08/08/pomeranian-dog-chases-black-bear/85563782007/
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoThat poor bear! lol. I love poms.
roccotacodad54
·1 year agoI saw that. It's not the dog in the fight it's the fight in the dog they say. Of course that was a young bear......
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoI think that's true for cats as well - I saw my little 9 lb tuxedo face down some pretty big competition, including raccoons (OMG, that worried me). She was fearless and mighty, and it wasn't just front as some found to their sorrow - she just didn't back down.
We can learn a lot from animals.
roccotacodad54
·1 year agoCats as well..... I once had a large Persian that would go out into the desert for days sometimes. Would catch and eat rabbits. He was a beast. Feral cat that befriended me and usually slept in the house. He was hell at the vets when I took him in for vaccinations. LOL.
I once saw him jump up on a fairly large dogs back and well...........he won.............
chapeau-noir
·11 months ago 
roccotacodad54
·1 year agoTrue about dogs. As I've said before "I wish I was half the man my dog thinks I am".
roccotacodad54
·1 year agoIt's a good thing when police get involved with safety other than enforcing laws.
I lived in Houston Texas many moons ago and the local cops/authorities had set up a drag strip on an old unused airstrip. All racers had to do was sign a waiver and pass a basic eyeball safety check.
There was Fire Dept/EMT volunteer presence as well as the cop volunteers.
I'm sure giving street racers an alternative to unlawful street racing saved alot of the needless carnage of innocent victims.
Big fun watching guys blow the engines on their muscle cars. Safer for the racers and observers, good fun and a way for folks to meet first responders in a friendly setting.................
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@roccotacodad54
Good for them! Very cool.
My dad used to talk about guys racing for pink slips.
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoThat's good community work - a lot of crime and problems can be curtailed by cooperation at the community level, stopping problems before they start.
rugerskick
·1 year agoMost places the cops aren't there watching or anything. They are just providing a space for peace of mind.
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoI do physical exchanges in front of the local coffee-house. After four shots of the strongest espresso in Christendom waiting for them to show up, I'm so twitchy that they just want to make the exchange and get the h*** out of there.
titipeo
·1 year agoMy local PD was moved to another bigger location across the street and they have one of those safe exchange places. I’ve not used it, as I typically would go to the local grocery store parking lot, do the exchange and wait for buyer to leave. When selling cell phones, I’ll meet at cell store to verify and activate phone. Still, great idea.
natoman777
·1 year agoWe live in a town of 13,000 in Central IL. We do porch pick ups on another platform, only if we can confirm they are legit. We are about 2 miles off a major interstate that goes between Chicago and St Louis... so well we get a few weirdos/scary people. We meet them at a highly traffic gas station with plenty of witnesses. Sadly this is where things are these days. Our scariest time was to meet a guy at aforementioned gas station who was trying to figure out what we were driving and where we lived. Reported his profile to the police.
johnrj1226
·1 year agoHeard Mom mention Dickinson North Dakota many time. Mom was the first child of a Swedish immigrant last name Mattson. They had farm (homestead) around Bowman, N. D. out a prairie. Hardy people they were did OK until Depression followed by the dust bowl.
Last time I visited the area we went to a neighbors homestead that knew & helped our family and vice versa. The homesteader hds to produce a money making crop within oe year or loss it and y had a sod hut. There was sod and petrified wood to make a livable residence. Well the sod hut stood the test of time it was still standing and had electric power to it.. Judge by a Sears Roebuck & Company big fat mail order book (1974 issue) and a 1974 calendar on the wall discovered people must havelived in it 'til '74; & had several out buildings full in tack and pesky rattle snakes around. Our grand parents home one 90 degree 5' high section made out of petrified wood. still standing and a rusty ole chassiof a Ford Model A still standing on those wooded rims.
N D and S D people are creative, and come from soid roots. Mom always said to me at a young age "harad worked" never hurt anyone.
Yep on are drive home went to Wall Drugs - got a 99 cent breafast (2 each of eggs, bacon, link sauage and toast - cup of coffee one nick then and one nickel now (ys' pay the nickel on you honor systeem - the drive acroos is rather borin
slippinjimmy
·1 year agoI have a Safe Zone.....it's called my front porch. If I wasn't willing to have buyers pick up from my porch I would not be offering Local Pickup.
Of course some sellers deal in goods of high value and/or in scam ridden categories, for that a safe meeting location is probably appropriate.
msha3839
·1 year agoOh God..just shows how this country goes down the hill..
youn2240
·1 year agoWe should always consider how the customer is probably going to fight us for our merchandise that's why I think it is imperative to contact the police every time I make a sale and ask for an escort on my way to the post office.
soh.maryl
·1 year agoAre you joking?
christworks
·1 year agoYou apparently do not have to worry about family. Good for you. I'll nominate you for eBay Seller of the Year.
youn2240
·1 year agoI am being serious. Think about how many people get your address when you send a package. The crazy customers who don't respect law and order, postal employees that have a grudge, eBay reps that are jealous. If you aren't willing to do opsec for a highly dangerous scenario like making a sale a sale on eBay than you aren't doing your due diligence. Just got done checking the perimeter of my property this morning. Seeing some signs of activity last night.
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoSorry, that was me. I was delivering some new in package lacy panties and took the wrong road.
christworks
·1 year agoOur police department also has a safe exchange area. I'm a dude, but this is how I meet anybody local. It's for their protection, and mine and my family.
biggymoe
·1 year agoIt is a great idea. I think it might be fairly common around the country. We have had it, at a Police substation, for several years.
richard1rst
·1 year agoAnd, even if your station does not have a safe zone as an alternative, just tell the other party to meet you at the police station. Then while you are there flag down a passing officer, briefly explain and ask if they wouldn't mind monitoring the situation. I bet they would be willing to.
kus1617
·1 year agoOur Local PD has had one of these for a while, they implemented it when Craigs List started to become popular.
meme6253
·1 year agoThat is an Excellent idea & should be Implemented in every community across the country!, That's a Smart brain that thought of that, Major Kudos!
richard1rst
·1 year agoNow, if someone is feeling particularly civic minded they should send that to every police department in the country. Why let a good idea die on the vine.
rugerskick
·1 year agoMany police departments do have this already. And many people meet at them already, regardless, for pickups. 🙂