Parking lot offers safe location for internet sales

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Lake Elsinore Station offers the public parking lot for use as a community meetup spot where individuals conducting Internet purchase transactions can meet and families with visitation rights can make custodial exchanges. Photo provided by RSO

On July 22, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Lake Elsinore Station, 333 Limited Ave., began offering the public parking lot for use as a community meetup location where individuals conducting Internet purchase transactions can meet.

The Lake Elsinore Station parking lot provides an alternative to meeting a stranger at a private residence or unfamiliar location. Signage is located next to parking stalls designated for the exchanges. The location is also available to be used for families with visitation rights to make a custodial exchange.

As Internet person-to-person sales have grown, so has crime related to them to include assaults, robberies and other thefts.  Not every buyer or seller online is someone who is true with their intent. There is a certain criminal element that capitalizes upon the inexperience of others. This type of criminal will typically agree to meeting in an area the criminal is familiar with. When the unsuspecting party arrives, the criminal will seize the item or take it by force.

The Lake Elsinore Station’s goal is to reduce victimization by this type of predator. By providing this location, the risk of victimization is greatly reduced. The sign was donated by OfferUp, who partners with law enforcement in an effort to reduce crime.