WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- The popularity of online transactions is growing here in northeastern and central Pennsylvania.
Websites like Craigslist, OfferUp, and Letgo are the places people around here go to buy and sell any number of items.
But where do you go when you actually have to meet someone you don't know to complete the sale? That's where the Wilkes-Barre Police Department comes in. You can buy or sell your items online and meet in the lobby of the police department where an officer is always nearby.
"We have had problems in the past where people have gone to meet somebody and they wound up getting robbed for either their product or the person claiming to be selling robs the people for their money, so it does happen, unfortunately," explained Ofc. Kirk Merchel, Wilkes-Barre Police Department.
In an effort to cut down on reports like that, officers are welcoming people to do their online trade-offs at police headquarters.
"They recommend you go to a safe place, somewhere where it's well-lit, somewhere where there are a lot of people. What better place to go than police headquarters?" said Merchel.
Wilkes-Barre Police Headquarters is open 24-7 to the public. You can use the lobby or the parking lot to do any transactions.