October 29, 2009
Gary Davidson
Public Information Officer

SHERIFF’S OFFICE OFFERS TIPS FOR A SAFE HALLOWEEN

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office is reminding residents to put safety first as they prepare for Saturday’s annual Halloween rituals. A good place for parents to start to make sure that they’ve selected a safe trick-or-treat route is the Sheriff’s Office’s on-line sex offender alert system, OffenderWatch. Free to users, OffenderWatch gives residents a way to monitor the home address of convicted sex offenders. With the program, residents can run address searches, view maps and register important addresses so that they can receive e-mail alerts if a sex offender moves near any of their registered addresses. OffenderWatch can be accessed through the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office web site, www.volusia.org/sheriff.

Here are some additional tips to make sure all those little ghosts and goblins enjoy a safe Halloween:

• Be sure that at least one adult accompanies children at all times, with a definite route and timetable set before leaving for trick-or-treating. If you’re going door-to-door, select a route that has adequate street lighting.
• Try to complete the route before dark. If darkness falls and a few more houses are beckoning, have a flashlight or chemical glow stick handy, but never candles or torches.
• At night, approach only those houses with outside lights on. Not only are youngsters safer in a well-lighted place, but they also may be more welcome. Often homeowners who don’t want to participate in the trick-or-treat ritual leave porch lights off as a signal. Respect their wishes and go on to the next home.
• Remember common-sense traffic rules: Stay on sidewalks, walk facing traffic, obey all traffic signals and cross streets only at intersections or crosswalks.
• Plan costumes that are bright and reflective. Place reflective tape on both the front and back of each costume and trick-or-treat bags for greater visibility.
• Consider using makeup on children’s faces instead of allowing them to wear masks, which are hard to see through and can make breathing difficult.
• Be certain that all parts of costumes are flame-retardant, including wigs, beards and capes.
• Make certain that costumes fit well to prevent children from tripping. Also, costumes should be appropriate for the weather so that trick-or-treaters stay dry and comfortable.
• Trick-or-treat bags should hang from children’s shoulders so that hands are free.
• Be certain that no treats are eaten until an adult inspects them. Any unwrapped or suspicious-looking items should be thrown out.

Here’s another idea worth considering: Instead of trick-or-treating house-to-house, consider having a Halloween party at home or attending a civic group’s haunted house or a merchants’ downtown party.