A safe, well-lit and police patrolled public site for Letgo or eBay purchase transactions or online yard sale buys is in the works in Perkasie Borough.
At a regular Borough Council meeting Jan. 21, Councilman Aaron Clark announced a joint effort by Perkasie Borough and Perkasie Police Department to set aside a public space for online sales transactions and to facilitate child custody drop-offs, where appropriate.
“The establishment of a designated safe exchange site in Perkasie is a step toward recognizing the needs of the community and responding with new options,” Clark said.
A site location announcement is expected within the next month.
Clark said there was no cost to taxpayers for the set up and monitoring of the new safe exchange site.
“When you see social media ‘yard sale’ groups with over 20,000 local residents as members and doing a good business, it’s obvious there is a market for online sales,” Clark explained.
He said a personal experience and observation about the lack of a monitored, public safe space to conduct these types of transactions has prompted efforts to set up the safe exchange site.
Clark said when he wanted to sell a home ladder or buy a piece of art, “…we were faced with two choices: meet a stranger in a predetermined – hopefully public – location and exchange money, or leave or pick up an item from a home and leave the money unsecured in a mailbox. Neither seemed safe and secure,” Clark said.
He noted while the safe exchange site was a borough initiative and would be monitored by Perkasie Police Department officers it would also be available as a public location to those outside the borough.
For child custody exchange challenges Clark noted similar issues applied, could be concerning to parents or guardians, as well as the children involved.
“Either way, it should make people more comfortable knowing they are meeting in a location that is well-lit, known to police and monitored 24/7,” Clark said.
He noted if someone isn’t willing to meet to complete a sale in a well-lit video monitored area with police patrol coverage, “…then that should be a red flag.”
