CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — The Cheektowaga Police Department established a 'safe trade station' where people can exchange money and items people are buying or selling online.
The safe area is located in the department's lobby which is under constant video and audio surveillance. Transactions for larger items can happen outside in the parking lot where there are surveillance cameras. The department is looking at adding designated parking spots in the future.
People who wish to conduct a transaction can do so at any time and do not need to make an appointment with police. Officers will not be directly involved in the sales.
The City of Tonawanda established a similar e-commerce exchange zone last year. It is located outside in two designated parking spots in front of the police department and is also under surveillance.
Cheektowaga's safe zone is the first in Erie County directly connected to SafeTrade, a program to help users of online classifieds trade safely.
There are two other specific SafeTrade locations in New York — one in Suffolk County and the other at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office.