http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/.../lansing-police-craigslist-location/27574281/
<section id="module-position-OIHlN-NZNmc" class="storytopbar-bucket story-headline-module">[h=1]Lansing, Meridian police respond to Craigslist trend[/h]</section><section id="module-position-OIHlN-Nk-jc" class="storytopbar-bucket story-byline-module"> Christopher Behnan cbehnan@lsj.com 3:28 p.m. EDT May 19, 2015
</section>LANSING – Lansing-area police departments are creating "safe havens" where people can make in-person transactions arranged online.
The safe zones are a response to crimes across the country that have followed meetings set up through Craigslist.
Last week, police in Shiawassee County found an Okemos woman in the front passenger seat of a car with a bag over her head, tape over her mouth and hands tied behind her back following a meeting set up through Craigslist. Police said the man charged in her abduction used a fake name, pictures and email address in his ad.
"It's trending nationwide for police departments that have substations or any police departments that have a parking lot facility to accommodate those people," Lansing police Public Information Officer Robert Merritt said.
On Tuesday, Lansing police announced an online safe zone located in the department's Operations Center parking lot, 5815 Wise Road.
Meridian Township police set up an online transaction zone in March at the department's headquarters at 5151 Marsh Road in Okemos. The department was the first in the Lansing area to announce a safe zone program.
"When buying and selling items online, it is really important to trust your instincts and put safety first," Meridian Township police Chief David Hall said in a press release. "Remember — if something feels wrong it probably is wrong."
Transactions can be done at Lansing's safe zone 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Weapons purchases are not allowed. In Meridian Township, transactions can be done in the department's lobby until 11 p.m. daily and anytime in the parking lot.
There hasn't been an uptick in Craigslist-related crimes in the Lansing area, police said. But crimes related to the transactions, including murders, have been reported in outside the area.
There were 45 reported murders nationwide linked to Craigslist postings between 2009 and 2014, according to a report by Law Street, a journalist-run website. One occurred in Detroit, according to the report.
<section id="module-position-OIHlN-NZNmc" class="storytopbar-bucket story-headline-module">[h=1]Lansing, Meridian police respond to Craigslist trend[/h]</section><section id="module-position-OIHlN-Nk-jc" class="storytopbar-bucket story-byline-module"> Christopher Behnan cbehnan@lsj.com 3:28 p.m. EDT May 19, 2015
</section>LANSING – Lansing-area police departments are creating "safe havens" where people can make in-person transactions arranged online.
The safe zones are a response to crimes across the country that have followed meetings set up through Craigslist.
Last week, police in Shiawassee County found an Okemos woman in the front passenger seat of a car with a bag over her head, tape over her mouth and hands tied behind her back following a meeting set up through Craigslist. Police said the man charged in her abduction used a fake name, pictures and email address in his ad.
"It's trending nationwide for police departments that have substations or any police departments that have a parking lot facility to accommodate those people," Lansing police Public Information Officer Robert Merritt said.
On Tuesday, Lansing police announced an online safe zone located in the department's Operations Center parking lot, 5815 Wise Road.
Meridian Township police set up an online transaction zone in March at the department's headquarters at 5151 Marsh Road in Okemos. The department was the first in the Lansing area to announce a safe zone program.
"When buying and selling items online, it is really important to trust your instincts and put safety first," Meridian Township police Chief David Hall said in a press release. "Remember — if something feels wrong it probably is wrong."
Transactions can be done at Lansing's safe zone 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Weapons purchases are not allowed. In Meridian Township, transactions can be done in the department's lobby until 11 p.m. daily and anytime in the parking lot.
There hasn't been an uptick in Craigslist-related crimes in the Lansing area, police said. But crimes related to the transactions, including murders, have been reported in outside the area.
There were 45 reported murders nationwide linked to Craigslist postings between 2009 and 2014, according to a report by Law Street, a journalist-run website. One occurred in Detroit, according to the report.
