Police Departments Open Up 'Safe Lots' For Craigslist Transactions

Frequently on ATS there are stories of police brutality, 'suicide by cop', and there is a general mistrust of the authorities. As a musician, and a person who buys second hand goods of value via Gumtree (sort of an Australian Craigslist), I don't see this offer from the police as a bad thing at all, but more as a community service that can inspire trust and facilitate a safer environment for commercial transactions not taking place in established venues.

www.npr.org...

The online classified site Craigslist updated its safety page this week, encouraging users to make exchanges at local police stations. Some police departments across the country are already offering up their headquarters as voluntary "safe zones" for Craigslist deals.

Hartford police are calling it Operation Safe Lot and the idea is to provide the public a well-guarded space for buying and selling its stuff. Foley says it's in response to crime spikes tied to Craigslist deals in the city.

And even though the parking lot is small, he says officers are willing to work around occasional electronics or furniture swaps happening right outside their front door.

"If it's gonna prevent a robbery, if it's gonna prevent a homicide, if it's gonna make our citizens feel safe ... we can live with it," Foley says. "We don't want it to become a flea market out there, but certainly it hasn't been a problem."

No doubt, because this is ATS, someone will invoke the NWO, or suggest this is an attempt to further control us so the tax authorities can monitor cash transactions, but I think this is a positive outlook from the police which could help cut down on certain crimes, like this one:

wqad.com...

Ive never understood the mentality of some people on CL. I have sold lot's of my stuff on CL. What really got me was mostly young women (or pretendedly to be) wanting me to meet them at places for the sale? I guess maybe they was scammers after all? Glad homie don't play that.

I heard about CL, but I decided to sell my truck on AutoTrader. The first responses were all trying to do a ripoff. And with no ability to even change the scam email they must of got online. Anyway, the guy that eventually bought it was scared he was going to get murdered. I went to a bank anyway since it was only a year old and made sure funds were verified, etc. But, the fear is definitely out in the public at this point, so I think it is a good thing for all concerned. It is easy to lose your cash or your vehicle, or anything else you are trying to negotiate.

I have NEVER had a problem in my life on craigslist. I have bought phones, games, a weight bench, a car s well as sold books, movies, furniture and electronics. I have bartered three times and I love the free section.

I always meet at a mall or wal-mart parking lot if I am selling. I just bring a concealed weapon when I go to buy. Never needed it so far, never had to mention it either.

Only suckers can get robbed through CL. The kind who walk down the street at night wearing soundproof headphones looking down at their phone. Yall know the type, the kind that just screams "victim" .

It won't be long before the IRS has video squads recording who is selling what then hitting you up for taxes on it.

(sorry I read the title and posted with out reading the rest of your OP).

Really, when was the last time a government agency ever did anything just to be nice to us?

a reply to: Asktheanimals

ohh come on really?? You should know better than that.

I think the IRS would still secretly ask the police to submit daily video though.

Have to collect taxes on those hot wheel collections and plants you know.

Also I just had a funny though, woudl the police accept if people used these lots to meet for their hook ups in the personals ads?

A nearby town announced the same thing.

People are nuts these days.

Just last week a kid in St Louis was selling his car and met a man at work to sell it to him. The guy killed the kid and then went back to work. He killed the kid on lunch break. You can look it up.

originally posted by: cuckooold
Frequently on ATS there are stories of police brutality, 'suicide by cop', and there is a general mistrust of the authorities. As a musician, and a person who buys second hand goods of value via Gumtree (sort of an Australian Craigslist), I don't see this offer from the police as a bad thing at all, but more as a community service that can inspire trust and facilitate a safer environment for commercial transactions not taking place in established venues.
/

Agreement these sorts of ideas will very quickly lead to a "if you don't use one of our 'safe lot' then you have something to hide." which is the same thing as 'not using one of our safe lots is suspicious activity.' and playing right into the hands of tyranny as we have given up on requiring the police to have solid evidence of wrong doing before they charge anyone and we have also surrendered to the idea that the police do not have to prove a charge beyond reasonable doubt as well.

Taking this view is also an admission that you are happy to play by the rules of the 'authorities' as they have the 'authority to tell what you should do. They are making the rules for you to live by, theirrules.

sorry mate but your sucking up the tyranny in the hope they will leave you alone.

a reply to: Asktheanimals

Do you by chance have an "angle" for why PDs also allow separated couples to conduct the exchange of children per visitation orders in their parking lots?

I mean....that kind of thing happens all the time here, but I can't see what the angle might be.

a reply to: cuckooold

Really.. people arent smart enough to do craigslist transactions in busy malls?

I buy and sell plenty of stuff on craigslist- including probably a dozen cars in the last five years.

Transactions if I'm selling are usually done right here at my home- and when buying, at the sellers home.

Never had a problem- but I'm not exactly a cute young woman.

a reply to: cuckooold

This has been going on here in KC for a while. I think some of the suburb PDs have been allowing the use of their station house parking lots for Craigs List transactions. I had a coworker who was thinking about using CL for a washer/dryer purchase, but she was worried about meeting someone over CL in some strange place, and another coworker suggested she arrange the meetup in the OPPD police dept. parking lot.

One would think that someone using CL as a way to lure in marks for nefarious reasons would think twice about it if the meeting place were a PD parking lot.

I bought a Zoom G5 effects pedal and then put a guitar up for sale on CL, but then a buyer responded and said he would be paying by check and was telling me the procedure he wanted me to follow, which I knew he was forging some check to pay for it so I told him no checks. Never heard from him again.

Craigslist attracts a lot of scammers here in the USA

This sounds like a great idea to me. I've had a few dealings on CL where I've met people in busy parking lots. There's been a lot of unfortunate events that have happened thru CL. It's to bad we live in a day and age where this is issue.

a reply to: mtnshredder

That's great! I'm a girl so I feel more uh...vulnerable when it comes to meeting strangers through CL. I usually just went to my local Safeway(grocery store) thats walking distance to do transactions.

It's kinda sad that it has to come down to this:/

a reply to: GogoVicMorrow

Really...nobody has ever killed or robbed in public?