One local suburban Philadelphia police department is offering its own parking lot to people buying and selling goods through online marketplaces like Craigslist to help ensure the transactions are completed safely.
“We’re a 24-hour operation,” said Conshohocken Police Officer John Storti. “We came up with this idea to have the Conshohocken Police Department be a safe zone since it has surveillance 24 hours a day.”
Located at 720 Fayette St. in Conshohocken, Montgomery County, the parking lot also has an emergency call button, which dials directly into the station.
The alternative for the unregulated cash transactions, which often take place in a coffee shop or other public location that may not have law enforcement officers nearby, comes just a few weeks after an accused rapist was charged with killing Norristown man he met through Craigslist.
The suspect is accused of tying the victim up and cutting their throat, then hitting up ATMs across four states with stolen bank cards.
Questions surround another Craiglist meet-up in California when a student disappeared in mid-September while trying to sell his car on the site.
Officer Storti strongly advises against having a stranger at your house for exchange of goods found online.
