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Police Stations Increasingly Offer Safe Haven For Craigslist Transactions
HughPickens.com writes: Lily Hay Newman reports at Future Tense that the police department in Columbia, Missouri recently announced its lobby will be open 24/7 for people making Craigslist transactions or any type of exchange facilitated by Internet services. This follows a trend begun by police stations in Virginia Beach, East Chicago and Boca Raton. Internet listings like Craigslist are, of course, a quick and convenient way to buy, sell, barter, and generally deal with junk. But tales of Craigslist-related assaults, robberies, and murders where victims are lured to locations with the promise of a sale, aren't uncommon. Also, an item being sold could be broken or fake, and the money being used to buy it could be counterfeit.
"Transactions should not be conducted in secluded parking lots, behind a building, in a dark location especially when you're dealing with strangers. Someone you've never met before – you have no idea what their intentions are – whether they have evil intent or the best of intentions," says Officer James Cason Jr. With surveillance cameras running 24 hours a day, plus the obvious bonus of a constant police presence, meeting in the lobby of the police department can help weed out people trying to rip others off. "People with stolen items may not want to meet at the police department," says Bryana Maupin.
"Transactions should not be conducted in secluded parking lots, behind a building, in a dark location especially when you're dealing with strangers. Someone you've never met before – you have no idea what their intentions are – whether they have evil intent or the best of intentions," says Officer James Cason Jr. With surveillance cameras running 24 hours a day, plus the obvious bonus of a constant police presence, meeting in the lobby of the police department can help weed out people trying to rip others off. "People with stolen items may not want to meet at the police department," says Bryana Maupin.
Why would they? It's a lot cheaper for them to be in the building where they normally are than cleaning up after a crime has been committed. Plus it's an opportunity to look good.
A single incident can cost a lot more for them than just having an officer on hand when the transaction takes place. It's not like they're checking IDs and doing background checks here.
The point is to get them into the police station to at least weed out the career criminals that the cops already know about when possible.
... for civil asset forfeiture.
Right, because everything they do at all times must be shady and borderline illegal, right?
I'm guessing you're made because they busted you for smoking dope you hop head. More likely, this is a case of them wanted to cut down on their workload somewhat and getting people to conduct these transactions next to or in the police station is likely to cut down somewhat on illegal activity.
It's great seeing the police "get it". What a great idea, I hope it takes off!
There is simply no way this is actually a good faith attempt to benefit the citizenry here. None.
Just like there is simply no way that you actually post your comments in good faith, right? Because everything that everyone does is always bad, always, right?
You know the saying. When everyone around you is an asshole, you're the asshole.
Of course the cops aren't going to complain when someone so stupid as to walk into their lobby right next to a picture of them and the warrant that's out for their arrest that's posted on the wall makes it easy for them. But the idea here is to simply shut down some scam transactions before they even occur. They don't have to DO anything - just make it clear that people who are uncomfortable with a transaction with stranger are welcome to meet up in the safest place available. Just like they tell you that you any time you think you might be being pulled over by someone who's not a real cop (say, an unmarked car), you can drive to the parking lot of a police station before pulling over. That's been the policy everywhere I've lived for decades.
Your eagerness to make a safe transaction or the serendipitous arrest of a stupid known, predatory criminal a bad thing is truly bizarre. Which of those two things is not in support of "the citizenry?" Which backwards world view are you holding that makes either of those things something nefarious on the part of the local police station? Grow up.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
take off your tinfoil hat, not everything in this world is out there to screw you over. robberies, murders etc look bad on the police as well as affecting normal people. It is an intelligent move and it would be nice if we saw more of it, regardless of what good they do there will always be people like you that can't possibly fathom that not all police are corrupt.
Yes there is. I consider the police lazy enough that they'd do it in good faith because aside of the idiots that may come to them to get arrested instead of them having to go out and catch them, they would probably also reduce the number of cases where someone actually gets mugged, robbed or otherwise becomes victim of a crime, which would be yet another reason to leave the box of donuts and go out into the world to interview the victim and do a search of the crime scene.
Even if you don't think there are any cops left that actually want to do what is allegedly their job, there's plenty of reason for them to establish something like that without resorting to paranoid surveillance conspiracies.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Thats the problem. By the numbers the police kill an awful lot more people then strangers on craigslist; and face far fewer repercussions. And it isnt just minorities selling cigarettes, they kill white people too.
Disclaimer: That only works if you are white.
You are welcome on my lawn.