As more law enforcement organizations in the state create safe zones where people can meet and complete online transactions, one notable exception is Longmont.
It has been a month since a pregnant Michelle Wilkins answered a Craigslist ad for baby clothes at a Longmont home, where a mother of two allegedly stabbed Wilkins and cut her baby out of her womb.
Wilkins survived but her baby did not. The suspect, Dynel Lane, has been charged with eight felonies, including attempted murder and assault.
Longmont Deputy Police Chief Craig Earhart said his department “considered very heavily” establishing a safe zone at police headquarters after the grisly March 18 attack but decided that there wasn’t the space or equipment to do it properly.
The lobby in the headquarters building is too small, he said, and the parking lot outside isn’t covered by video surveillance.
“We just felt that creating a safe zone would provide a false sense of security for people when we know it can’t be monitored 24 hours a day by police,” Earhart said.
Instead, Longmont police will launch a “marketing blitz” via social and traditional media to publicize tips to buyers and sellers about how to complete online sales safely, including avoiding going to a location alone and attempting to execute the deal outside rather than inside.
“A better take is to educate people about doing these things in a safe manner,” Earhart said.
After the Longmont attack and a January incident in which an elderly couple in Georgia were killed after answering a Craigslist ad for a car, a number of Colorado law enforcement agencies have made the effort to establish visible and protected transaction zones. Most are in police station lobbies or the parking lot right outside.
Adams County in late January was first to do it in the state. Since then, sheriff offices in Park, Weld and Douglas counties have done the same, as has Westminster police. Last week, the University of Colorado Boulder Police Department and Arvada police started safe transaction programs.
It’s difficult to assess how often the safe zones are used because buyers and sellers aren’t required to register nor are officers involved in individual sales.
But Kenneth Koch, deputy chief of support services for the CU-Boulder police, said since his department announced its program last week, reaction on the CU police Facebook page has been positive.
“We have more than 200 likes and multiple comments expressing gratitude and support for the effort,” he said. “Given the campus has roughly 30,000 students, I think it’s safe to say we have a service here that will be utilized in the future.”
Arvada contends that while officers can’t be present for individual transactions, the lobbies in the city’s three stations are under video surveillance and the front desk is manned during business hours.
“Our goal with this program is to provide a safe environment for our residents to conduct private transactions,” Arvada Police Chief Don Wick said. “We built our community stations to better serve the needs of our community, and this is just one example of how we can do that.”
John Aguilar: 303-954-1695, jaguilar@denverpost.com or twitter.com/abuvthefold
