County creates ‘safe exchange zone’ for online transactions

If you’ve ever been afraid of being hustled, or worse, when selling your stuff to a complete stranger via an online service like Craigslist, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office has an option for you: a “safe exchange zone” physically located in the county jail’s parking lot at 1300 Maple St. in Redwood City.

Police departments in Fontana, Buena Park, Danville and Fremont have established such areas for conducting transactions with strangers, county Supervisor David J. Canepa said. In the Fresno suburb of Clovis, criminal activity associated with these kinds of transactions “virtually vanished” since the establishment of the safe zone, he noted.

Daly City has a safe zone, the work of Mr. Canepa when he was on the City Council and was responding to the shooting death of a resident who had agreed to meet a would-be buyer of a video game console.

At the county jail, the two parking lot spaces reserved for “safe exchanges” are posted and already have round-the-clock video surveillance, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The parking spots are in front of the jail next to three spots for electric vehicle charging, Mr. Canepa’s spokesman Bill Silverfarb said.

The cameras are in place and the cost is minimal, he said. “To us, it’s just a common sense solution. We’re hoping that every city in the county does this eventually.”

Asked what makes this spot safe, Mr. Silverfarb noted that the Redwood City Police Department is right across the street. “There is law enforcement everywhere in that area,” he said.