If you have any concerns about buying or selling something on Craigslist or on similar websites; you now have a safer place to do business.
Some law enforcement agencies will offer their parking lots as a safer place to finalize online deals.
Officers say they won’t get involved in any of the deals themselves. Instead they hope that by doing the buying and selling at a station, people will be less likely to cut a shady deal or get violent.
Authorities have always urged caution when it comes to exchanging goods online.
Lt. Denis Raul with the Horry County Police Department says, “conduct your transactions in a well lit public place preferably in the day, where you’re less likely to be taken advantage of. Don’t make yourself a victim”
The Horry County Police Department encourages conducting business in the front lot of its headquarters which is accessible to the public and is monitored by security cameras.
According to Lt. Raul, the department could take the safe haven idea even further. There are currently discussions about using the lobby as a place to meet.
“The idea is to have people come inside and do some of those things. Especially for transactions that may take some time or if someone has a particular worry about a transaction,” says Raul.
At present it’s just an idea, but one that regular Craigslist user, Cody Keats, can get behind.
“Craigslist is really scary, no matter where you meet. I would love to meet in a lobby especially in a police type environment instead of a Walmart parking lot or something like that,” says Keats.
Keats says he uses the site a least a couple times a week and has had some close calls in the past, “we were at a McDonalds and the guy was a little sketchy. He made me feel uncomfortable and we just left the moment i saw him.”
He encourages anyone buying online, to use caution when making a deal in person.
“Just see how the environment feels, see how the person looks and if you don’t feel comfortable, just leave. There’s no point to stay around,” added Keats.
While most of the bigger stations do allow or even encourage transactions held in station’s parking lots, some smaller stations do not.
Aynor and Loris simply do not have the space to let people do business there. And again, no police officers will oversee any transactions.
