To purchase something on Craigslist without getting ripped off – or more regrettable – your smartest choice may be to have a cop close by.
That is the thought behind the Spokane Police Department’s new “Safe Zone” at the North Precinct in Hillyard. Police are offering the area parking garage as a gathering put to finish online exchanges organized on Craigslist and comparative sites.
“Broadly there’s been a couple of occurrences where those sort of exchanges have turned sour, and we’ve seen different divisions that gave those spots,” said Officer Teresa Fuller.
Post Falls police have a comparable program set up, where individuals can meet in the division parking garage. Seattle police permit individuals to utilize their region halls.
Spokane officials wouldn’t effectively oversee exchanges between individuals, Fuller said, however would be close by in the event that something turns out badly.
“I have utilized Craigslist, however I would feel a lot more secure assuming this was accessible,” Ashton Coe Preuninger composed on the Spokesman-Review’s Facebook page about the issue.
Fuller said, “There’s been a couple of cases in Spokane of individuals meeting for those sorts of exchanges and somebody getting the money and simply going for it.”
Proposing a police region as a gathering area may likewise assist with deflecting venders of taken products. Fuller suggested proposing a region meeting for any deal that appears “unrealistic.”
“To get together there, it’s a decent sign that something’s wrong,” she said. Dubious dealers who won’t have any desire to meet at the region can even be accounted for to Crime Check.
Fuller said she’s needed to set up such a program in Spokane for some time, however the office didn’t have a decent area. Public stopping around the Public Safety Building and the Downtown Precinct are both restricted. Whenever the Hillyard area opened recently, Fuller said it seemed OK to assign it a “Protected Zone.”
Until further notice, the North Precinct parking area at the side of North Market Street and East Diamond Avenue will be accessible during the week from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Individuals who need to utilize the parking area as a gathering spot should call (509) 363-8281 to affirm an official will be there when they intend to meet.
