Newton Falls welcomes Safe Internet Exchange Zone

The Newton Falls Police Department is looking to help those who purchase items on the internet stay a little bit safer. 

The department has opened a Safe Internet Exchange Zone that will be video recorded 24/7 in order to give community members a safe space in which they can exchange items bought or sold on the internet. 

Newton Falls Police Chief Gene Fixler stressed that officers will not get involved in any part of the transaction, nor check on any items being sold or bartered.  

The exchange zone will be behind police department building at 19 North Canal Street, and also inside the front door of City Hall during business hours, from 8 am to 4 pm. 

Newton Falls joins several communities across the Valley. So far Boardman, Bazetta, and Calcutta have welcomed safe exchange zones to their neighborhoods. 

Craigslist, one of the most popular buy/sell/trade sites, offers the following precautions when meeting someone for the first time to conduct a transaction:

• Insist on a public meeting place like a cafe, bank, or shopping center.
• Do not meet in a secluded place, or invite strangers into your home.
• Be especially careful buying/selling high-value items.
• Tell a friend or family member where you're going.
• Take your cell phone along if you have one.
• Consider having a friend accompany you.
• Trust your instincts.