"Safe Zones" Offer a Place for Custody Exchanges of Children, Sale of Merchandise

Twelve "Safe Zones" under the monitoring of the Polk County Sheriff's Office are now available to all Polk County residents for the purposes of custody exchanges of e-commerce sales, according to officials with the sheriff's office.

The locations offer 24/7 continuously-monitored video surveillance with recordings retained for at least 45 days. They also provide adequate lighting and signage for safety.

Courtesy Polk Sheriff's Office

New signage will mark 12 "safe zone" locations across Polk where residents can safely conduct e-commerce transactions or child custody exchanges. The zones are marked, lighted, and monitored with 24/7 video recording of all activity.

The Florida Legislature recently passed a law which requires count sheriff's offices to provide at least one "Safe Zone" to their communities in response to the tragic kidnapping and murder of Cassie Carli in 2022, during a child custody exchange. Carli, 37, disappeared on March 27 that year after meeting the father of her 4-year-old daughter in a restaurant parking lot in Navarre Beach in the Florida panhandle for a child custody exchange.

"We have long had 'safe zones' for e-commerce transactions at substations across the county, and I think it is a great idea to have these areas available for safe child exchanges, too," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. "We've seen the potential dangers during child custody exchanges, including instances of violence."

Local area Safe Zones are located at the Polk Sheriff's Southeast District Office, 4011 Sgt. Mary Campbell Way in Lake Wales, at the city Sheriff's Stations at 135 Main Street in Dundee, 15 1st Street NW in Fort Meade, and 111 1st Street West in Frostproof, as well as the South County Jail at 1103 US Hwy 98 West in the Frostproof area.

Other locations across Polk include:

• Central County Jail - 2390 Bob Phillips Road, Bartow, FL 33830

• Southwest District Office – 4120 US Hwy 98 South, Lakeland, FL 33813

• Northwest District Office – 1045 Wedgewood Estates Blvd, Lakeland, FL 33809

• Northeast District Office – 1100 Dunson Road, Davenport, FL 33896

• Central District Office – 3635 Avenue G NW, Winter Haven, FL 33811

• Mulberry Sheriff's Station – 104 South Church Avenue, Mulberry, FL 33860

• Polk City Sheriff's Station – 123 Broadway Blvd, Polk City, FL 33868