Gulfport PD Provides Halloween Safety Tips at Local Church

With Halloween just around the corner, people are becoming more aware of safety. Halloween can be one of the most fun times of the year for kids to dress up as some of their favorite characters and collect pillowcases full of candy, but it can also be one of the most dangerous.

Wednesday, Crime Prevention Specialist, Mandy Keenan, from the Gulfport Police Department spoke at the Westminster Presbyterian Church to remind adults on how to keep their children safe this Halloween. Rena Dukes, Chairman of Missions Committee at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, says, “We need to sometimes just have our memories jogged to make sure we’re following the right protocol to keep everybody safe.”

Keenan reminded people of things like making sure their children are trick or treating in a group or being led by a trusted adult and inspecting candy before allowing children to eat it. Keenan says everyone needs to work together to keep our communities safe. She also says, “You have to remember that you have to set the bar high on your neighborhood and you have to make sure that you do not become a victim by your own negligence.”

If your children are heading out after dark, make sure they have some kind of light with them so that they can be seen by traffic in the road. Still, Gulfport Police will be out on Halloween night to do what they can to keep traffic in check. Keenan closes, “We have a Halloween plan every year. We bring in extra officers to patrol, block off neighborhoods, block off streets that have a huge influx of people coming in and out of them.”

Even though they’ll be out in full force, police are encouraging everyone to do their part to make sure our children stay safe this Halloween.