Public Safety Department

Exchange Zone

Salem City Exchange Zone

Eastside of Salem City Office

90 South Main Street

The buying and selling of goods online, and exchanging them locally, have become more and more popular. Have you ever been scared to give your address out when selling something online? Wish you had somewhere else you could meet? Meeting at one’s home for these exchanges can be unsafe and is not recommended. You don’t know who you’re meeting. They’re a total stranger to you.  

The most difficult part of such sales is finding a place to meet to safely exchange items for money. Salem City has designated an area where an individual can come and feel a little safer. Salem City now has a designated, “Exchange Zone” located on the eastside of the city office. The zone is under constant video surveillance in a well-lit public area.  The zone can be used for online exchanges like Craigslist and indoor yard sale groups on Facebook.   

Within view of surveillance cameras, the zone is intended to be used by people who are meeting up for an online sale.  Or for couples who are involved in custody agreements and want a public place to pick up or exchange their children. Citizens will most likely be on their best behavior, knowing that they are in a public place and under video surveillance. We encourage you to do exchanges during daylight hours for safety reasons.

Remember it’s always a good idea to keep record of all communications, text and emails. You never know when you might become the victim to a scam.  And finally, if someone that you're dealing with does not want to meet you in this zone, you should probably reconsider making an exchange with them at all.

If you have any questions about the safety zone, feel free to contact me at the Salem City Police Department in person or at (801) 423-2312.

Chief Brad S. James

Salem City Police Department

Great Shake Out

We hope that you have participated in the Utah Great Shake Out.   Salem City Public Safety has put together a handout that would be very useful for you to go over with your families.  

 Great Shake Out Hand Out

You can also go to www.shakeout.org/utah for more information.