More and more people are turning to social media and especially Craigslist to buy and sell items, which has opened the door to fraud and even violent crime.
The city of Grovetown is hoping to nip that in the bud by offering a “meet up space” that is directly in front of the Grovetown Police station.
Two signs were installed this week in front of the station, which is located at 306 East Robinson Ave.
According to Major Robert Eastman, the spaces are designated for meet-ups only and have cameras that operate 24 hours a day.
“Part of this is us being proactive,” Eastman says, “but we have had some cases of consumer fraud and even assaults occurring. We want the public to feel safe and be safe when making transactions with people they do not know.”
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While most Craiglist transactions go off without a hitch, there have been instances of violence and even murder in Georgia.
According to The Macon Telegraph, in 2015, Marietta retirees Elrey “Bud” Runion, 69, and June Runion, 66, were lured to rural Telfair County on the prospects of buying a 1966 Ford Mustang. Rather than buy the classic car of their dreams, the couple were robbed and shot to death.
The suspect in their murder, Ronnie Adrian “Jay” Towns, now faces the death penalty in the case, according to the Telegraph.
Craigslist, which began as a startup company based out of San Francisco in 2000 and became a worldwide sensation, estimates 330 crimes occur a year, which is about one percent of the total transactions that occur.
Most of the crimes involving Craigslist are people using the site to meet up illicitly, however there have been plenty of instances nationwide of innocent people showing up to buy items and being robbed at gunpoint. There have also been instances where the alleged victims have pulled a gun and killed the would be criminal.
While crime on Craigslist is rare, the Grovetown police want to eliminate that one percent. The idea of the “safe space” is the brainchild of Mayor Gary Jones, who is a lifelong, 30 year, law enforcement agent and was the Director of Grovetown Public Safety before being elected mayor.
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“We just want to provide a safe environment for people to transact business, because people don’t know who they are talking to on the other side of their computer, “Jones says. “We didn’t really see a need for this before, but I think it is now time for us to provide that level of protection.”
Major Eastman says that the meetup spaces are also the perfect place for estranged or divorced couples to meet for custodial exchanges involving their children.
“It is a neutral and safe area for those parents to conduct swaps while avoiding confrontations,” he says.
Eastman also advises that anyone planning to utilize the meetup spots should call ahead to (706) 863-1212 to alert the station so that the police know to be monitoring the cameras as an extra level of security.
So far, the image of the signs have been posted all over social media and Eastman says the public response has been largely positive with only a few snarky responses.
“We did have a few English majors let us know that there is a grammatical error on the signs,” he laughs, “but everyone appreciates the fact that we are providing this service and trying our best to keep the public safe.”
Scott Hudson is the Managing Editor of The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
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