Thanks to advances in technology, purchasing almost anything online is only a quick mouse click away. It's also possible to get good deals on used items on websites like Craigslist or Facebook, such as used cars, phones or collectibles.
However, that doesn't mean those used items just show up on your doorstep. Most of the time, transactions have to take place in person, which can lead to theft, according to Capt. Mike Ireland with the Henry County Police Department.
“People will post … ‘Hey, I have an iPhone for sale.’ And someone will say, ‘OK, meet me at this location,’ the Wal-Mart parking lot or Publix parking lot or wherever it may be,” Ireland said. “And the individual who is selling that will show up, and the (buyer) will just snatch the phone and run off.”
Attempting to stop situations like that from happening, law enforcement officials in Henry County created the Safe Zone project. The project, funded by the city of Stockbridge, selected the North Police Precinct, 4545 N. Henry Blvd., to be an exchange location.
The location has a video camera surveillance system installed to observe and record exchanges, and 911 dispatchers and police personnel can monitor the area. It also provides law enforcement with a record of activity in case it's needed for future investigations or court trials.
“We urge the citizens to use it,” Ireland said. “We urge anybody to use it, even people visiting Henry County. That’s what it’s there for.”
In the past, when Henry County citizens were making an exchange like this and felt unsafe about their meeting spot, Ireland said they would call the police to try to monitor the exchange. However, he said that’s not always possible. He said the same thing happens sometimes for custody issues when children are switching from one guardian to another.
“It can be used, not only for buying and selling, but for custody issues,” Ireland said. “A lot of times, we have divorced parents or a basic custody issue where kids are being dropped off for the weekend or whatever, and they normally call the police (to monitor the switch). In this case, they can just go to this location where it’s a recorded place.”
In 2017 so far, according to the Henry County Police Department's crime statistics map, there have been 202 known instances of larceny — theft of personal property — in Henry County. There were 2,594 cases in 2016.
Ireland said that it’s difficult to quantify how many of these crimes are tied to transaction meetups that go wrong, but he said that it does happen.
“One is too much,” Ireland said.
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