We often share stories of trades and sales that originate online, are completed in person, and go terribly awry, like. After one town in Pennsylvania designated a Craigslist Transaction Safe Zone, other areas have joined in. Sure, it’s nothing beyond inviting people to participate in swaps in the police station parking lot, but maybe having a designated community trading spot will catch on.

Not that the cops want to turn themselves into a center of commerce. “We don’t want it to become a flea market out there, but certainly it hasn’t been a problem [yet],” the Chief of Detectives in Hartford, Connecticut told NPR. Another officer explained to NPR that one goal of having Safe Zones is to have people visit the police station for a reason that’s positive, instead of only going there when they’re the victim of or accused of a crime.

Of course, a safe zone can’t help you if you’re someone who is inclined to buy an iPad from some dude you run into at a gas station, but it could keep car-flippers from masquerading as private sellers, and such safe zones would probably prevent cases like this couple who were robbed of their phone and their cash when they met up with people interested in buying their phone.

Looking for a place to trade? Check out the Safe Trade Stations website, which offers free designated trading spots, currently in 22 states.

Use Police “Safe Zones” for Safer Craigslist Transactions  [Lifehacker]

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