Forest Lake police hope area residents will use a designated “swap spot” in front of the city center for safe transactional and child custody exchanges.
At the end of October, the department placed a sign that reads “Swap Spot” next to a space in the parking lot in front of the Forest Lake City Center. According to Detective Ashley LaValle, anyone who is buying or selling something via local commerce websites like Craigslist or social media sites like Facebook can use the spot as a designated pickup location if money or property will be exchanged in person.
“We’ve offered this spot to the public in the hopes to deter criminals from scamming, stealing or exchanging things like stolen property,” she said.
The spot is within view of city center security cameras and police headquarters, a fact which LaValle said will hopefully make potential criminals nervous about engaging in illegal activity.
In the past, she explained, local exchanges have often made in out-of-the-way spots or in the parking lots of large retail spaces, where criminals could not be easily identified or stopped. In insecure transactions with people contacted online, the buyer or seller could be victimized with theft or by receiving stolen property. In some rare cases (none in Forest Lake), people involved in such transactions have been subjected to violence.
“The hope is that the person purchasing the item would say, ‘Meet at the city center swap spot,’ and it would deter scammers (or other criminals),” LaValle said.
In addition to being a public area in view of security cameras, the swap spot may also be accompanied by a police presence, depending on the time of day and department workloads. If an exchange is set up during city center hours, one of the parties may walk into the building to request an officer be present during the exchange (during hours when the building is closed, police may be available on the department’s non-emergency line at 651-464-587). A police officer may not always be available, but LaValle said when an officer is available, he or she can observe the exchange to make sure no illegal activity takes place.
“That’s all based on the personnel available,” she noted.
The police also hope the site will be used by people who have less than amicable child custody situations. LaValle described the spot as a “neutral zone” where child exchanges can be made without fear of threatening or disturbing incidents on either side. She added that the space is available as a deterrent, not as a guarantee that nothing will go wrong.
“Even though it’s at the Police Department and the cameras are out there, we cannot guarantee that it’s always going to be safe,” she said.
So far, the department has gotten good local feedback on the swap spot designation, though LaValle wasn’t sure how often the space had been used. She hopes that it will gain more local use as word gets out about its existence.
In all personal exchange situations, at the swap spot or not, LaValle encouraged readers to take the right safety steps. Exchanges are best done during daylight, with a cellphone on hand in case one of the parties needs to call 911. The parties should not go to an exchange alone if possible, and if not possible, they should tell a friend or family member when and where they are going and what time they expect to be back. During an exchange, LaValle added, the parties should take note of the other person’s name, license plate and general description should a crime occur.