More police departments are offering their parking lots to the public as a way to make Craigslist-type transactions safer for residents.

William Jebb is the police chief in Chicopee, which opened up its parking lot to online buyers and sellers in January.

“It provides a safe location to make a transaction,” Jebb says. “Where if something were to occur, at least in our department, it would be captured on video and you would have immediate response of a police officer.”

Hartford started offering its parking lot for Craigslist transactions last month. This week, Northampton added its name to the list.