The Fort Myers Police Department wants locals to be safe when purchasing items on e-commerce sites like Craigslist.

That’s why they recently created “exchange safety zones” at their headquarters. The idea is that people have a safe place to meet with sellers from these sites.

The exchange safety zones are two parking spots with signs located at police headquarters. They’re under video surveillance 24/7.

Capt. Jim Mulligan said they set up the spots because of local incidents. This includes a recent event where a man was trying to sell his cell phone. He met with a potential buyer in a parking lot.

“The cell phone was taken from him and the suspect fled down the road. There was an altercation in the roadway that led people to believe it was a carjacking, but it was basically this person trying to get his property back,” Mulligan said.

Mulligan said they also got the idea from the North Port Police Department. It set up its safety zone earlier this year.

Mulligan said they don’t know how many people have used it.

But, he said the point is to encourage people to be safe and aware of their surroundings when conducting these transactions.

