Police offer parking lots for safe craigslist transactions

Oxford police want to make sure people who use Craigslist can complete their transactions without a hitch.

The department is offering its parking lot as a meeting place for online marketplace sales.  So is the Heflin Police Department.

Oxford Police Chief Bill Partridge said there have not been any reported safety issues involving classified sales in the city, but he wants to make sure police do all they can to prevent problems from happening in the future.

Parttridge said that "Since 2009, 35 people have been murdered in the United States, from people meeting individuals offline to do online sales such as Craigslist,".

Calhoun County chief deputy Matthew Wade said the sheriff's office does not plan on hosting sales.  He discouraged people from using Craigslist entirely, or any other similar online marketplace.

The chief deputy also questioned the legitimacy of not just sellers, but items.  He said burglars may try to sell items on Craigslist since they would be caught if they went to a pawn shop or another store.  A customer's bill of sale will do them no good on a purchased item reported stolen.

However, Wade said he knows people will still use the service, and if they do, he wants them to make their transactions at a police station.

Several other police departments are participating in similar programs, which have titles such as Operation Safe Lot and Operation Safe Sale.