Halloween Safety for your kids

Halloween is only a couple of weeks away and we all know that its time for that extra bit of safety we always hear about regarding our kids on Halloween night. Even as a child (more years than I care to admit) we heard "don't go into strangers houses, and check your candy" looking for that ever so common razor in the apple. Even growing up in Boulder Colorado, the threat was real and no matter where you were, you always heard of some tragedy somewhere occurring on or near Halloween. From stranger danger to candy safety, we live in a world today where the threat is not only still there, but stronger than ever. You can Google "Kids assaulted on Halloween" and get so many results that it will scare you weather you are a parent or not. Back in the day, Sex Offenders were out there, but rarely did we know who or where they were lurking. With today's access to Sex Offender Registries in every single state, we have the ability to look into your own neighborhood to find potential threats. As a former Chief of Police, I made it a point to have my officers patrol registered sex offenders homes on a regular basis, and on Halloween, we contacted each offender to advise them not to answer their door when children were present trick or treating. In at least two cases, we made arrests when the offender failed to heed our warnings. In large cities, this task is impossible for a police officer to keep an eye on each offender, so it is imperative that as a parent, you take the responsibility to search your neighborhood for offenders. The US Department of Justice Sjodin National Sex Offender Website is a great place to start.http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/Portal.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Talk to your children, let them know the dangers. Remember NEVER GO INTO ANYONES HOME, NO MATTER WHAT, eat only candy and items that are securely wrapped from the store, take a flashlight and a whistle and the usual parental warning "Stay out of the street " are good places to start with the kids. Another threat is bullying as the kids go door to door. Go with your younger kids, and if you can't, make sure older kids go with the younger kids. And finally, if your kids do run into a problem, a cell phone is always recommended and if not, there are a lot of people out, go to the nearest house and call for help. Have a great time and a safe holiday!!!