From BCPD
** The Safe Exchange Zone is available to anyone in the community 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The area is also under 24-hour surveillance. **
Safe Exchange Zones have been initiated by police departments around the country to address the safety concerns brought with on-line purchase sites such as: Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, eBay, Craigslist, classified ads, as well as other social media free items groups.
This free service allows for the safe exchange of items between seller(s) and purchaser(s). While many of the e-commerce websites are credible, they are so heavily used that their popularity makes buyers and sellers easy targets for criminal activity.
The dual-purpose Safe Exchange Zone can also be utilized as a safe location for families with child visitation rights. Families can now exchange their children under the watchful eye of surveillance.
The Bay City Police Department has dedicated two parking spaces on the Northwest corner of our police station located at 2201 Ave H, in Bay City, Texas (this is the area between the BCPD and IBC Bank). The Safe Exchange Zone is clearly marked by yellow curbs and signage.
BCPD is happy to offer this service to our community. Please share this or tag friends and family who would benefit from this service.
- Ask yourself this question: “If someone isn’t willing to meet at the BCPD Safe Exchange Zone, do I really want to trust the credibility or character of this person I don’t know?”
Crime Prevention starts with you. Don’t be an easy victim or target, please, for your sake.