The Evesham Township Municipal Building, court, library and Police Department Headquarters all share the same building at 984 Tuckerton Road, but now residents have yet another purpose to add to the list of uses for the complex — that of a “safe transaction zone” for those looking for a place to safely conduct transactions with individuals they’ve met online.
Specifically, individuals can now officially complete such transactions in the lobby of the Evesham Township Police Department, according to a recent police announcement.
The department announced the designation of its lobby as a “safe transaction zone” after the Evesham Township Council officially adopted the measure at a recent council meeting.
According to police officials, the police lobby, as well as the entire municipal complex parking lot, is well-lit and monitored by a state-of-the-art surveillance system, making the area already well equipped to help protect citizens from the robberies, thefts and scams that have been associated with online transactions.
One such incident the ETPD noted in its announcement involved an investigation in Georgia in which a man was charged in January with the deaths of a couple who were allegedly lured to the suspect after he responded to the couple’s Craigslist advertisement seeking a Mustang convertible. In that instance the couple, in their 60s, were shot in the head.
Police Chief Christopher Chew, when originally presenting the idea to council, said many other police departments were adopting similar measures.
“A lot of police departments, what they’re adopting is, making it the police department’s headquarters’ parking lot, or in the lobby, so people don’t…have the fear of being robbed, assaulted or taken advantage of,” Chew said.
During that presentation, Chew also noted other incidents across the county where individuals have been robbed or killed, and he said the Evesham department had already been receiving requests from residents wishing to use the facility as a safe place to conduct their transactions.
“We get routine phone calls from people asking if it’s OK to use our facilities to do it safely because we have state-of-the-art surveillance outside, police cars, we have a great police presence that people feel comfortable doing the transaction,” Chew said.
However, according to Chew, while the police department lobby can be used to conduct transactions, members of the department will not be involved in the transactions or be available to act as witnesses.
Chew said members of the department cannot administer legal advice regarding the transactions, and they will not be able to settle any disagreements that might arise as the transactions take place.
The announcement also lists restrictions on certain types of transactions, baring those involving weapons, drugs or drug paraphernalia.
Police officials ask that any residents who wish to use the police department lobby in a transaction first contact or notify the department’s front desk.
The lobby of the Evesham Police Department is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Police officials said they also encourage those residents wishing to use the “safe transaction zone” after hours or during Saturdays and Sundays when the lobby of the department is closed to use the complex’s parking lots, which are under video surveillance.
