Carmel police designate ‘safe’ area for people to complete transactions
CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) — The Carmel Police Department now has two parking spaces designated for people who want a safe location to conduct face-to-face transactions.
The city’s Safe Exchange Zone program, announced Friday in a press release, is intended to provide a well-lit, 24/7 video surveillance area for those conducting transactions that began on social media, the internet, classified or other transactions. The spaces are located right outside the police station, at 3 Civic Square.
Police department employees will not be serving as witnesses to purchases or sales, nor are they trained or authorized to validate the legitimacy or legality of a sale.
The program and parking spaces are simply a safe location.
The decision to offer the public a space near the police station for sales that start on internet-based sales websites and apps, such as on Craigslist, comes after a Southport police officer was struck by a car during a phony cellphone transaction outside IU Methodist Hospital on Aug. 9.