Cranberry offers safe meeting, exchange site
CRANBERRY TWP — The township has a designated area for people to meet and safely transact business or make exchanges.
A safe exchange zone is in the parking lot of the municipal center, 2525 Rochester Road. It consists of two angled parking spaces facing St. Ferdinand Church on the right for vehicles entering the lot from Rochester Road.
The area could be used for exchanging goods bought online, transferring child custody or handling other sensitive face-to-face transactions, according to a news release from the township.
It is available for anyone, not just township residents.
The spaces are labeled with signs and outlined with green paint. They are monitored 24 hours per day by security cameras.
The township police department is in the municipal center, but police officers do not participate or act as witnesses to transactions, according to the release.
The spaces are reserved for short-term use and are not to be used by people doing normal township business.
Other communities have set up similar safe exchange zones to give people a safe place to meet strangers other than their homes.
The township police also advise people making transactions with strangers to tell a family member about the appointment, only conduct business with local people and use cash or money orders as opposed to wire transfers.
