Are Kids Safe from Sex Offenders During Halloween?

Friday evening, children will be lining the streets, walking door-to-door trick or treating, but how do you know your child won’t find themselves on the doorstep of a registered sex offender?

Kids’ safety is a top priority on Halloween. That’s why most states have laws in place that restrict certain activities of sex offenders during this time. Mississippi is not one of them. News 25spoke with a local lawmaker and sheriff officials to see what can be done to keep our children safer while trick-or-treating. In states that have passed the "no candy" law, registered sex offenders are prohibited from passing out candy on Halloween. They must also post signs in their yards that read "No candy at this residence” and not have any Halloween decorations on the property.

In addition, a California law known as "Operation Boo" requires registered sex offenders to be inside their home with the lights out on Halloween. No such laws exists in Mississippi, but don’t look for Representative Jeramey Anderson to introduce legislation on this matter. Anderson says, “I think that’s a step too far. I think the conversation that we should be having shouldn’t be that conversation. It should be, ‘How do we get out to the general public about safety tips?’”

While there is no specific law in Mississippi yet, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is encouraging parents to go online at home and do their own research. Captain Curtis Spiers, Chief Investigator for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, says, “If you know you’re going to an area or a neighborhood to take your kids trick or treating, just click again on the Sheriff’s Department’s website or click on the state sex offender registry and research that area before you go. That’s a smart, proactive move to keep your kids safe.”

Finding a list of nearby registered sex offenders is right at the tips of your fingers if you have a computer. You can go on any county’s sheriff’s department website and click on "search offenders in your area." Then type in an address and it will tell you exactly where registered sex offenders live within a five mile radius of your search, helping you map out which homes to avoid.

For now, that is the only option as a new law cannot be even introduced until the next legislative session in 2015. Capt. Spiers closes, “That would be up to the legislature to pass and if there are laws coming in in other states, that’s obviously a step in the right direction.”

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