The Milford Police Department now offers an exchange zone in its parking lot.
Exchange zones are safe places for people – sometimes strangers – to meet publicly.
Milford PD’s public information officer Timothy Maloney says it can be used for any kind of purchase or exchange interactions, and he expects it will mostly be used for child custody and internet purchase exchanges.
“Those are things that happen very frequently not just necessarily at the police department but throughout the city of Milford,” Maloney said. “So now giving people a safe area where they can do that just made sense to us.”
Maloney adds that this isn’t a new idea; community members discussed an exchange zone in Milford with the chief of police in early 2023. Milford PD then worked with the Seaford Police Department, which has offered an exchange zone since 2021.
“Our goal is to assist our community with having safe spaces for them to conduct these types of exchanges,” Maloney said. “It just gives them a nice, safe place where they would feel comfortable to do those exchanges with another party.”
Milford PD’s previous location had fewer parking spots, but since moving, its lot and facilities are larger. Maloney says they decided it was time to dedicate a couple spots to exchanges.
No additional funds were needed for the exchange zone; the cost of the signs marking the zone came from Milford’s operating budget.
