Smith County Offers Parking Lots for Safe Exchanges

TYLER – Smith County Commissioners voted Tuesday to add two more safety zones for completion of online deals. According to a news release, the sites will offer citizens a safe place to make quick, one-time exchanges involving deals arranged on Craigslist and similar social media sites. Commissioners designated the Smith County Emergency Operations Center west parking lot on Spur 248 in Tyler and the Precinct 5 Constable’s Office on S. Main St. in Lindale. Precinct 5 Constable Kenneth Bibby said sometimes those kinds of meetings can become volatile and he hopes the presence of law enforcement can help with those exchanges. He said his staff is in and out of the office and is sometimes there during evening hours and on the weekends.

Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said he recommended the two additional safe zones because of requests made by the public. The law enforcement sites in Tyler and Lindale have security cameras monitoring the property at all times. Commissioners Terry Phillips and Cary Nix urged residents to use caution and common sense when setting up meeting times after hours, when the offices may not be staffed.

The new safe zones are a continuation of what Precinct 2 Constable Andy Dunklin began offering at his office on Highway 155 South in Noonday in April. In light of a robbery during a Craigslist exchange, Dunklin decided to provide his parking lot for private, legal exchanges conducted through online services. Dunklin said at the time that he would not allow people to use the inside of his building, and he wanted the exchanges to be held during business hours, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.