the San Antonio Police Department and councilman Mike Gallagher are partnering to bring you the sapd safe exchange Zone Program Nationwide there have been several cases of online transactions between two private parties turning into violent and even deadly encounters you really just need to look up the keywords online transaction crime to see and read the disturbing stories as part of an ongoing effort to prevent crime and help our citizens feel safe the sapd is offering our public parking lots at each of our six Patrol substations as a suggested location for these transactions the offering of police parking lots for these transactions has already successfully occurred in other parts of the country while our lots are public we will have marked areas with distinctive signs where the activity is most likely to be covered by our video surveillance as an additional level of safety our 24-hour Mann lobbies are open for those who wish to conduct a transaction there we suggest that residents consider this a safer option when arranging a location to conduct a legal private transaction whether arranged online or by other means be advised that all transactions must be in compliance with all local state and federal laws our Police Department is always willing to open our parking lots and our doors to our citizens especially in the interest of Public Safety and personal security we're constantly looking for ways to encourage our community to feel safe welcome and secure safe exchange zones do just that to find the safe Zone nearest you please make note of the locations of our six substations North Patrol at 1330 Jones maltsburger PR Road at 5020 PR Road Central Patrol 515 South Frio West Patrol 7,000 KRA East Patrol 3635 East Houston and South Patrol at 7-Eleven West Mayfield in addition to our safe zones we ask that you keep these simple safety tips in mind when you conduct online exchanges they apply whether you're on our property or not as you can never be too safe insist that you meet at a public place such as one of the sapd safe exchange zones at every substation don't go to meet anyone alone trust your instincts do not meet in a secluded area don't invite strangers into your home and do not go to theirs be cautious when buying or selling high value items perform the transaction during daylight hours when at all possible and if a deal sounds too good to be true it most likely is tell a friend or family member about your intentions and where you'll be and take your cell phone with you if you keep these few simple tips in mind and use our safe exchange zones you increase your chances of assuring your safety during an online transaction thanks so much for watching this episode of saps did you know