If you want to buy something on Craigslist without getting ripped off - or worse - your best bet might be to have a police officer with you. That’s the idea behind the Spokane Police Department’s new “Safe Zone” at their North Precinct in Hillyard. Police are offering the precinct parking lot as a meeting place to complete online transactions arranged on Craigslist and similar websites. “Nationally there’s been a few incidents where those kind of transactions have gone bad and we’ve seen other departments that provided those spots,” said Officer Teresa Fuller. Post Falls police have a similar program in place, where people can meet in the department parking lot. Seattle police allow people to use their precinct lobbies . Fuller said she’s wanted to set up a similar program in Spokane for a while, but the department didn’t have a good location. Public parking around the Public Safety Building and the Downtown Precinct are both limited. When the Hillyard location opened earlier this year, Fuller said it made sense to designate it a “Safe Zone.” For now, the North Precinct parking lot at the corner of North Market Street and East Diamond Avenue will be available during the week from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. People who want to use the parking lot as a meeting place should call (509) 363-8281 to confirm an officer will be there when they plan to meet.