UPDATE: Chattanooga police have arrested two men in connection with the robberies.
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ORIGINAL STORY: The Chattanooga Police Department says it’s seeing an increase in robberies involving people who are buying/selling items via online classified apps and websites.
In the past week, three such robberies were committed, according to a news release. The victims were robbed at gunpoint of items they were trying to sell along with other personal items.
To prevent crimes like these, CPD has a designated space in front of the Police Service Center at 3410 Amnicola Highway as a Safe Exchange Zone.
The purpose “is to protect Chattanooga community members while swapping, trading, buying/selling items or during child custody exchanges,” the release states.
The designated location has several video cameras, which record 24/7 to ensure a safe transaction. You do not need to check in at CPD to make a transaction but should park in the designated Safe Exchange Zone area.
“Even though there’s a designated area with cameras at the CPD,” the release states, “we still recommend meeting to make exchanges during daylight hours, telling a friend or family member where you’re going, and remember if a deal seems too good to be true, it’s probably a scam.”