Birmingham Police Stations Offer Safe Place To Exchange Online Purchases
A sign by the entrance to the Birmingham Police Department headquarters notes where internet purchases can be safely exchanged.
Online retailers such as Amazon may be a prominent way to shop online, but plenty of items are sold between individuals through the internet as well. On occasion, that can turn deadly.
In December, Destiny Washington, a 20-year-old University of Alabama at Birmingham student was shot and killed outside the student center. Police said Washington was exchanging a pair of Airpods she sold online when she was shot allegedly by the buyer.
“Meeting up with someone in a place that you’ve never met a stranger…is a dangerous practice,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a Thursday morning press conference.
Woodfin referenced another recent case where police investigated an internet sale transaction that resulted in a robbery in-person. He said the victim was not injured.
Woodfin said the lobbies at the Birmingham Police Department headquarters and the four precincts are available as safe locations for exchanging online purchases. Cameras are set up and police officers are present.
He said the downtown headquarters is available during regular business hours and precinct lobbies are open 24-hours a day.
“Police won’t be involved in your exchange. If you need them there for safety, they’re there,” Woodfin said.
The Mayor also announced at Thursday’s press conference that he plans to seek a second term during the municipal elections in August. He has not made a formal announcement but has been raising money for his campaign.
Two other candidates have announced their plans to challenge Woodfin: former Auburn University football player and businessman Chris Woods and Jefferson County Commissioner Lashunda Scales.
Supreme Court allows Trump administration to end humanitarian status for some migrants
The move to grant a stay in the case means that the Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who were granted temporary parole under the program known as CHNV would lose their temporary legal status to be in the U.S.
Wes Anderson peers into the hollowness of extreme wealth in ‘The Phoenician Scheme’
Benicio Del Toro plays a globe-trotting tycoon trying to convince his estranged daughter (Mia Threapleton) to be his heir. The film is darker, angrier and more violent than Anderson's usual fare.
Russell Brand pleads not guilty to rape, sexual assault charges in U.K.
On Friday, Brand pleaded not guilty to five counts of rape and assault that date back more than 25 years. He says the charges are politically motivated. His trial is set for 2026.
Can this nasal spray slow down Alzheimer’s? One couple is helping scientists find out
Joe Walsh is the first Alzheimer's patient to be treated with an experimental nasal spray designed to reduce inflammation in the brain.
Oil companies face a wrongful death suit tied to climate change
Julie Leon died of hyperthermia in Seattle on June 28, 2021 — the hottest day in the city's history. A lawsuit claims she was a victim of oil companies' "misrepresentations" about climate change.
Are you smarter than a 13-year-old? Take our Scripps Spelling Bee test and find out
If you weren't playing along at home during Thursday night's final, take our mini-Bee quiz, which uses words from the real thing.
