As I was checking Facebook this morning, a very cool story popped up from my local police department. They designated a spot downtown and adjacent to our municipal buildings as an e-commerce trading zone. There are parking spots and an automated call button in the event of an emergency.
It's not often that I write about news like this, but it's actually the first I'd heard of it. A friend of mind on Twitter told me that they're actually all over the country. With a little bit of research, I found that they're in Atlanta, Chicago, and a ton of other cities.
Evan even shared a link to an online directory:
By locating the zones adjacent to police, people that are selling illegal or stolen goods online are less likely to agree to meet there. And criminals who hope to rob or assault you aren't going to show up, either!
Offer Safe Pickup
With more and more ecommerce companies operating out of the home, this seems like a great opportunity for regional companies. If you're selling local, you may want to list safe trade or e-commerce zones on your website and offer pick-up at those locations instead of your home.
I was really happy to see this offered in my own small city. Congratulations Greenwood! And thanks for permission to use the photos.
