Buying and selling online has become as common as going to the store. To make those exchanges safer, BPD encourages you to meet in a public place or at the newly designated location in the parking lot of City Hall West. The new Internet Purchase Exchange Location is in the Northeast section of the parking lot at the Boise Police Department. Officers are stationed out of the building at City Hall West and come and go from that location throughout the day. While an officer won’t always be present in the parking lot, we will be nearby if needed.
“Exchanging items at your home comes with risks that we don’t want you to have to take. This area in the front parking lot of our department is a better option and we hope the community will use it,” said Ed Fritz, Boise Police Crime Prevention Supervisor.
City Hall West is located at 333 N. Mark Stall Place. We are off of Emerald Street between N. Five Mile Road and N. Maple Grove Road.
Whether you use our parking lot or not, here are some crime prevention tips for buying and selling online:
- Verify the value of something before meeting with the seller. If the negotiations don’t work out, leave the situation immediately.
- If you don’t use our lot, always insist on meeting in a public place, the busier the better. Meeting inside will have more people around. Daylight hours and transactions are preferred.
- Avoid meeting in secluded places or inviting strangers into your home.
- Be cautious when buying and selling expensive or highly desired items.
- Only bring the amount of money you need for the item or consider meeting first then getting money for your payment and coming back.
- Always tell someone where you are going and consider taking someone with you.
- Always trust your instincts. If something does not seem right, avoid the situation and seller/buyer.
- Don’t forget your phone so you can call for help if needed.
