12 Polk “safety zones” set up for custody exchange or e-commerce

Do you need a safe place to drop off custody of your children or pick up an item purchased online?

The Polk County Sheriff's Office says it has 12 “safety zones” where citizens can safely gather for such meetings. The zones have 24/7 video surveillance and well-lit areas marked by signs. Transmissions are monitored and recordings are kept for at least 45 days, the release said.

And because these zones are sheriff's substations, county offices or jails, there's a chance a deputy sheriff will be nearby if needed.

A new law went into effect on July 1 requiring sheriff's offices to provide their communities with at least one “safety zone.” But the Polk County Sheriff's Office said in a news release Wednesday that 12 such safe zones have long existed at substations across the county for e-commerce transactions.

“I think it's a great idea to make these areas available for safe child handovers as well,” Sheriff Grady Judd said in the press release. “We've seen the potential dangers of custody handovers, including instances of violence. This new law underscores the importance of safety in these situations.”

Here is the list of safe zones:

• Central County Jail, 2390 Bob Phillips Road, Bartow
• South County Jail, 1103 US 98 W., frost-proof
• Southwest District Office, 4120 US 98 S., Lakeland
• Northwest District Office, 1045 Wedgewood Estates Blvd., Lakeland
• Northeast District Office, 1100 Dunson Road, Davenport
• Central District Office, 3635 Ave. G NW, Winter Haven
• Southeast District Office, 4011 Sgt. Mary Campbell Way, Lake Wales
• Dundee Sheriff's Station, 135 Main St., Dundee
• Fort Meade Sheriff's Station, 15 1st St. NW, Fort Meade
• Frostproof Sheriff's Station, 111 1st Street West, Frostproof
• Mulberry Sheriff's Station, 104 South Church Ave., Mulberry
• Polk City Police Station, 123 Broadway Blvd., Polk City

correction

An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Polk County Sheriff's Office created the safety zones in response to state law. Polk County's safety zones existed before the state law.