Internet Purchase Meet Up Spot

With the rise of sales and trading through sites such as Craigslist and Facebook, the Big Lake Police Department wants to provide our residents a safe environment for these transactions to take place.

The Big Lake Police Department is located at 790 Minnesota Avenue.

We have two dedicated parking spaces in our parking lot, dedicated to those undertaking purchases on the internet to meed up safely. These parking spaces are brightly highlighted with green striping, they are on the east end of the parking lot, and have a video camera dedicated to these two spaces.  This is also the location all of our Officers come and go from the building on a frequent basis, so there is a strong law enforcement presence in the area.

These parking spaces are available 24/7 for meeting and arranging exchanges and trades for these types of transactions. There are signs posted on each parking space dedicating them as a Meet-Up Spot.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Big Lake Police Department at 763-251-2996, or in an emergency 911.

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Personal Safety

The overwhelming majority of Craigslist and Facebook users are trustworthy and well-intentioned.

With billions of human interactions facilitated, the incidence of violent crime is extremely low.

Nevertheless, please take the same common sense precautions online as you would offline.

When meeting someone for the first time, please remember to:

  • Insist on a public meeting place.
  • Do not meet in a secluded place, or invite strangers into your home.
  • Be especially careful buying/selling high value items.
  • Consider making high-value exchanges at your local police station.
  • 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.

Taking these simple precautions helps make Craigslist and Facebook safer for everyone.

Resources

For more information about personal safety online, check out these resources:

Please review our avoiding scams page as well.