The frequency of buying and selling items online has increased significantly over the last several years. What once was an in-person sale that was likely limited to your neighbors or other close members of your community, can now be completed with strangers from hundreds of miles away.

Because the Vienna Police Department and the City of Vienna recognize that while the overwhelming majority of online transactions occur without incident, in rare instances, these transactions have resulted in robberies, batteries, and thefts across the nation. The City of Vienna is committed to providing a secure exchange point for its community members and has recently established a “Safe Exchange Zone.”

The Safe Exchange Zone is an area where you can safely meet and complete online transactions, located in close proximity to the Vienna Police Department. The presence of officers and video recording equipment should help deter criminal activity and any other unintended consequences of your transaction.

Please help and spread the word to your local “Buy, Sell and Trade” Facebook group or other online community bulletin board service and help advocate for our fellow community members’ well-being.

The City of Vienna would like to guarantee safe and fair exchanges, but currently we can only encourage citizens to be safe and smart and meet in a public place. Instituting an Internet Purchase Safe Exchange Zone is a positive first step in providing a centralized meeting location for citizens of the community and one that can actually be actively promoted.

You can find the Safe Exchange Zone in the parking lot next to the Vienna Police Department, located to the rear of the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department Building, and to the rear of the new shelter built in Spencer Park. It is marked by 2 parking signs that say “INTERNET PURCHASE SAFE EXCHANGE ZONE.” The Safe Exchange Zone is open to the public, and will be lit from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM, 7 days a week. Here you can trade legal items, including internet sales, or even conduct child custody exchanges in a safe atmosphere promoted by our police-protected and camera-monitored environment. While no one can guarantee that every exchange will be event free, the City of Vienna and the Vienna Police Department is proud to help your exchanges be as safe and secure as is reasonably possible.