Central Texas police provide safe online sales exchange locations
CEDAR PARK, Texas - A set of parking spaces in front of the Cedar Park Municipal Court building is not just for people paying for tickets. Those spots are designated as safe exchange zones where people can meet up and complete online sales.
"Because you never know who the person on the other end of the computer is, so we recommend you come to one of our safety exchange zones," said CPPD Corporal Tony Bridgewater.
Above the parking spots are several surveillance cameras. A view of the video feed shows how it is patched into Cedar Park's police dispatch center.
The Round Rock Police Department has similar spots. This safety exchange zone is only a few steps away from the front doors to the headquarters.
"You don’t have to bring strangers into your home, or to your workplace, or you don’t have to go to someone else’s home. You can do it in the parking lot of our police department, it’s a very safe location, and again you are at the police department. What better place to do the exchange," said Lt. Sean Johnson with RRPD.
In the Austin area, Cedar Park PD and Round Rock PD are among eight local police departments with safe trade-exchange-zones. The others include Georgetown PD, Leander PD, Manor PD, Pflugerville PD, San Marcos PD and Sunset Valley PD.
"Our program has been in place since 2015, and in that time we've seen people here doing the exchanges through the different online marketplaces, and also used for child custody exchanges where people want to interact in a safe location that’s monitored," said Lt. Johnson.
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The police departments are alternatives to big shopping centers, which can provide a false sense of security. An example of how a transaction can quickly go sideways at a very public location happened just a few days ago.
Saturday, a report of gunshots sent people scrambling for cover at Barton Creek Square Mall. APD investigators say a fight broke out at the popular mall between two groups of men. They met up there to complete an online sale. The gunman fled the scene, and the person who was shot was treated for a non-life-threatening injury.
"One thing that pops to mind is the quality of the cameras. On the exterior cameras, that’s not always the greatest, there's blind spots. With our safe exchange, there are high quality cameras, monitored 24/7. Those cameras are not monitored, so it would be after the fact type stuff," said Bridgewater.