VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI)-Halloween is right around the corner and local law enforcement wants to keep your children safe.
12 years ago, the Indiana Department of Corrections created 'Operation Safe Halloween' to help make children more aware of sex offenders in the area.
In Vigo County alone there are 208 registered offenders.
So how do you plan a safe route for trick-or-treating to avoid these sex offenders?
News 10 spoke with Vigo County Sheriff, John Plasse, and he has the answer.
He tells us that you can locate the offenders in your area by going to the Vigo County Sheriff's website. On the website you'll find a tool that allows you to type in your address and see how many of those offenders are near-by. From there you can decide which houses to avoid in the area.
Part of 'Operation Safe Halloween' encourages those offenders to not partake in the festivities by turning off their house lights and not passing out candy.
While Vigo County is not participating in 'Operation Safe Halloween' they are taking their own precautions during the trick-or-treat hours.
"Our sex offender detective registry will be out with some of our other detectives doing spot checks on the registered sex offenders in Vigo County during those Halloween trick-or-treating hours to make sure that they're not inviting kids up to their house," said Plasse.
Going door-to-door can also be a risk for pedestrians. According to the Washington Post, 54 pedestrians younger than 18 were struck and killed by a car on Halloween from 2004 to 2018.
Dark costumes, running in the streets, and more... they're all things that contribute to an accident.
Plasse reminds those participating in the holiday to be very careful.
"A lot of kids get excited going to the next house for candy and they may not stop at the intersection and make sure it's clear so the main thing is for parents to stay with their kids and make sure they're watching over them so they don't dart into traffic wearing those dark costumes that they cant be seen well by someone driving," Plasse explained.
