“Our police stations are manned 24 hours a day so they can have a little bit more security when [people] are doing these exchanges,” Lt. Matt Beavers said. “It’s just the general knowledge to have that safety, that peace of mind that you’re doing in it in a place where we have cameras.”
Dayton police added the exchange zones approximately eight years ago so that people would have a space they felt comfortable buying or selling items, and the department wanted to remind the public they’re still in use.
Beavers said police recently have seen an uptick in robberies, including three in Dayton’s West POD in the last week that involved LetGo or Facebook Marketplace.
If someone decides to buy or sell an item using social media, they then would use the closet Safe Exchange Zone to meet the buyer or seller to make the exchange.
“It should make the buyer and/or seller more comfortable to know that they’re coming to a common meeting place that’s a safe exchange zone,” Beavers said.
People should use their judgment if a potential buyer or seller insists on meeting at a different site.
“Use your gut and realize it’s probably not a good thing to do or that this ‘deal’ on this cellphone is not quite worth it,” he said.
Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker
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