Law Enforcement Providing Safe Zones for Internet Trades

Buying and selling items over the Internet has become a common trend in today’s society, and three local law enforcement agencies are playing their part to make these transactions as safe as possible.

The Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office, the Office of the Stafford County Sheriff and the Fredericksburg Police Department have each volunteered to provide safe zones for individuals to meet up and complete these Internet deals, according to a bulletin posted to the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page.

Each agency has created a safe zone in its respective parking lots, and these zones will be made available to community members 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

While law enforcement is not responsible for the sale of items, these agencies will provide well-lit areas to meet, as well as constant video surveillance to ensure these encounters — often conducted between two strangers — do not escalate into anything dangerous or alarming.

Authorities do encourage residents to perform such meetings during daylight hours, often between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

“If individuals hesitate to make a transaction at one of our headquarters, that can be a pretty good indicator that this may not be the person you want to do business with,” Stafford County Sheriff Charles Jett, Spotsylvania County Sheriff Roger Harris and Fredericksburg Chief of Police David Nye said in the bulletin. “We are excited about providing this safe zone venue for the citizens of Stafford and Spotsylvania Counties and the City of Fredericksburg.”

The following are the locations of the three safe zones in the area:

• Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office: 9119 Dean Ridings Lane, Spotsylvania, Va., 22551

• Fredericksburg Police Department: 2200 Cowan Blvd., Fredericksburg, Va., 22401

• Stafford County Sheriff’s Office: Public Safety Center: 1225 Courthouse Road, Stafford, Va., 22555

Patch file photo