Special to Lake Okeechobee News
LABELLE -- With all the safety concerns of meeting someone who is buying or selling items that are advertised online, the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office is an Internet Sales Transaction Site.
People looking for a secure place to complete transactions arranged online are being urged to use the parking lots and lobbies of the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office and its sub-offices:
• Hendry County Sheriff’s Office , 101 S. Bridge Street, LaBelle;
• Hendry County Sheriff’s Office Annex , 9045 SE Raintree, LaBelle;
• Clewiston Sub-Office, 100 E. El Paso, Clewiston.
This program is meant to reduce and detour the number of robberies and other crimes that may occur when potential buyers or sellers are targeted online.
“While this is not a growing problem in Hendry County, it is an ongoing problem across the country”, said Sheriff Whidden. “I want our citizens to feel safe.”
It is, however, recommended that arrangements be made during daylight hours.
Completing online purchases at a law enforcement facility will lessen the potential for criminal activity.
"If someone intends to commit a criminal act and you say, ‘Let’s meet at the Sheriff’s Office’, the person on the other end of the phone is probably going to think twice," the sheriff explained.
