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Logan Police Department implements ‘Safe Exchange Zone,’ receives positive reaction from public

January 27th, 2016 Posted in Logan News

By Megan Dolan

The Logan City Police Department has officially implemented its “Safe Exchange Zone,” a location initially created to safely exchange children for visitation, and already residents are finding myriad ways to take advantage of the secure meeting spot.

The zone, which has received a positive reaction from residents since it was announced on the department’s official Facebook page on Wednesday, consists of two designated parking spots located near the entrance to the police parking lot at the department office on 300 North. It has a 30 minute parking limit and is under 24 hour surveillance.

This idea came as a result of Logan residents reaching out.

“We had several citizens reach out to us with the idea, and it’s also something that departments further south such as Layton and along the Wasatch Front have implemented,” said Curtis Hooley, a captain with the department. “We felt like it was a great idea and a good way to make families safer.”

Though it was originally brought about for the purpose of safely exchanging children for visitation, it can also be used as a place for people to safely make exchanges for purchases made on Craig’s List and other classified pages.

“It can be utilized for any online purchase, gun buys, and of course for ex-husbands and wives to be able to safely exchange their children,” Hooley said.

“I’ve heard of this idea in other communities, from California to Florida, and I think it’s a good thing for Logan to have, too,” said local resident Stuart Reynolds. “As a gun buyer and owner, I think making gun exchanges will feel much safer than behind some store or at someone’s home.”

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Utah State University student Tyson Wheelwright. “I shop a lot on KSL and Craig’s List, and it’s always difficult to find a good place to meet to do these deals. But if you make it a standard place to meet, then every time you went there, you’d know that you were safe. It will also probably limit the amount of scams that happen in this area, because nobody wants to scam someone right in front of the police station.”

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-mdl

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