Registered Sex Offenders Not to Pass Out Candy or Have Lights on Halloween Night

As trick-or-treaters summon homeowners for candy, local police will be dropping by sex offenders' doors Halloween night.

The Chesterfield Township Police Department does an annual special detail on the holiday. During the evening, officers visit registered sex offenders' addresses in the township to ensure no offenders on probation or parole have their exterior lights on or are passing out candy, according to police Lt. Charles Verschaeve.

If an offender is violating the Halloween guidelines, police will order them to stop participating in the trick-or-treating and report them to their probation or parole supervisors the next day, Verschaeve said.

"There were a couple cases where we filed, I believe, two reports," he said of violating homes last year.

In one of those cases, a person who wasn't the offender was handing out candy, which is still prohibited at the registered address, he said.

New Baltimore police will also have extra patrols on Halloween night and will conduct checks on all sex offenders registered in the city to ensure they are not interacting with trick-or-treaters, according to Detective Randy Blackburn.

Residents can check the Michigan Sex Offender Registry before going door-to-door in their community. The Michigan State Police also answers frequently asked questions about the registry, including what criminal convictions merit registration.

Police also want to remind the public about other safety precautions for Halloween night:

• Wear reflective costumes or clothing.
• Thoroughly check candy before eating it.
• Be careful crossing streets, no matter how much traffic they get.
• Make sure children are supervised.

Halloween night hours for trick-or-treating are 6-8 p.m. for Chesterfield Township and 5:30-8 p.m. in New Baltimore.