Clay County now offers a safe place to complete online transactions
The Clay County sheriff’s office this week began offering a new public safety service: a secure spot for completing transactions arranged online.
Buyers and sellers can meet in the lobby of the downtown Liberty sheriff’s office headquarters at 12. S. Water St. The space is electronically monitored 24 hours a day.
The office is expanding on an idea initiated last year by the Liberty Police Department, said Lt. Will Akin, sheriff’s office spokesman. Liberty police, Akin said, acted after gunmen shot and seriously wounded a Liberty couple when they went to an arranged spot in southeast Kansas City to examine a car advertised on Craigslist.
“We don’t want to wait until something like that happens here in our county,” Akin said.
Law enforcement agencies in Florida, Georgia and Colorado helped introduce the concept, he said.
Although the lobby area will be open 24 hours a day, office officials are discouraging late-night transactions. Also, transactions involving firearms are prohibited.
To reach Brian Burnes, call 816-234-4120 or send email to bburnes@kcstar.com.
This story was originally published April 23, 2015 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Clay County now offers a safe place to complete online transactions."