It won’t cost the city of Warren much money to lose a couple of parking spaces in the lot behind the city municipal offices.

But the spaces could make life much safer and easier for county residents.

Last week the city announced the creation of safe exchange spaces in a joint effort between the City Council and Warren Police Department. The idea was brought forward by Sgt. Joe Bees of the Warren Police Department. The area is under constant surveillance, which brings an increased measure of safety to child custody exchanges that can sometimes be uncomfortable at best and a powder keg at worst. Those who do online businesses can use the spaces rather than meeting in a business parking lot or traveling to a stranger’s house.

Safe exchange spaces are a growing trend across the country. While the worst-case scenario is rare, the Sunbury Daily Item noted last year that there have been 100 murders across the country since 2009 during exchange transactions in addition to robberies and assaults. And a state Senate bill sponsored by Sen. Wayne Langerholc, R-Cambria, would have established a state grant program to help pay for safe exchange spaces. The bill didn’t move through the state House before the end of the year. In our opinion Langerholc’s bill should have been a no-brainer in the state House.

Kudos to the Warren City Council and the Warren Police Department for moving ahead on their own. We hope area residents make use of the new spaces.