It's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to meeting up with someone after purchasing or selling an item on the internet. 

Not only has online shopping become more popular, but places like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and Nextdoor are becoming more attractive and convenient to purchase items. 

“We really want to try and give people a safe place where they can complete those transactions,” said Josh Hans, spokesperson for the Parker Police Department. 

The Parker Police Department dedicated a portion of their parking lot as an Internet Purchase Exchange location for the community. The police department is located at 18600 Lincoln Meadows Pkwy. 

A patrol officer came up with the idea in 2016, which was shortly implemented. 

Since then, the department likes to remind the public about the location by posting it to social media on occasion, especially when it gets closer to the holidays when online sales start to increase. 

When doing online purchase exchanges, people can get scammed, ripped off, or if someone has ill intentions, can bring a weapon and try to harm the individual. 

There are also those who will have people come to their home when buying something from somewhere like a Facebook group or do a porch pickup, which is not safe, said Hans. 

The exchange location reduces the opportunity of someone being a victim of theft or robbery. 

Hans said a lot of people comment that the location makes them feel better that it is there, giving them security. 

“We do everything we can do to help reduce crime,” said Hans. “And reduce our community members being a victim of crime.”

The location is designated by a green sign in the parking lot of the police department near the voter ballot drop-off box. It is also in sight of the police department. 

The location is also accompanied by a live surveillance to help the police monitor the area. 

Even if you don’t live near the police department and cannot make an exchange there, authorities encourage the public to find a large parking lot and make the exchange in the daytime and when there is people around.