VIDALIA — The Vidalia Police Department has created a safe space for parents looking for a neutral location to exchange children or residents needing a safe space to make transactions.

Vidalia Police Chief Joey Merrill said the department had several requests from parents who share custody of their children who wanted to meet at the department to exchange the children.

In response, Merrill said the department repositioned outdoor surveillance cameras and designated a “safe space” for those exchanges to happen. VPD used paint to designate the space in the parking lot, and Rhino Graphics donated signs directing residents to the area, Merrill said.

The initiative did not cost the department any money, Merrill said.

“We already had the cameras in place; we just repositioned them,” he said. “And the signs were donated.”

“We had a lot of folks wanting to come up to the police department to exchange kids, and they wanted to come inside,” he said. “This just makes it easier. Now, they can exchange their children in the parking lot, and it’s under 24-hour surveillance.”

At the same time, the area serves as a safe space for buyers and sellers for transactions on websites such as the popular classifieds site Craigslist to meet and exchange goods and money, Merrill said.

“A lot of times the buyer knows nothing about the seller, and it can be very dangerous when you’re meeting up with folks to exchange money or goods,” he said. “This way you won’t get robbed or assaulted.”

Safe zones for online transactions at police departments are becoming increasingly common around the country. Authorities have linked approximately 100 murders to criminals who preyed on victims using Craigslist.

Merrill encourages anyone making a transaction with someone they have interacted online to do so utilizing VPD’s safe zone.

“We welcome everyone to use the designated space, especially the residents of Vidalia.”