Montgomery County Sheriff Addresses Concerns of Sex Offenders on Halloween
Some parents may be concerned when it comes to what neighborhoods their children should be in while trick or treating. That is why Montgomery County Sheriff officials are reminding people to check sex offender registry’s before heading out for Halloween.
Before you head out to collect treats door-to-door, you may want to look a little closer at the neighborhoods on your list, if sex offenders are a concern.
“The majority of the sex offenders in Montgomery County, they live in pretty much the same neighborhoods, says Sheriff Derrick Cunningham.
In Alabama, it is not a crime for sex offenders to hand out candy during Halloween. However, they are required by law not to live or work 2-thousand feet from schools or daycare. In Georgia, a Butts County Sheriff is posting “No trick or treat” signs in the registered sex offenders yards…
“In Georgia, their laws are a lot stricter as it relates to sex offenders and during door-to-door seasons like this they’re going to put out notices. They’re going to put out signs saying don’t trick or treat at this location, don’t trick or treat at this house,” says Cunningham.
Just like many sheriff departments across the country the Montgomery County sheriff’s office uses sites like Offender Watch for their own research and it encourages concerned parents to do their own research on public websites.
“You should know your addresses. You should know your surroundings and that’s why if you’re planning on going trick or treating you should already research where you’re going and your community and you should already have your addresses listed-pinged knowing that we’re not going to go to this address or to that address,” says Cunningham.
Authorities say parents should be on alert for more than just sex offenders.
“You still got a lot of people that live in our community, that live in our neighborhoods that have been to prison-that may be felons, that may be anything so you’ve got to know where you’re going,” says Cunningham.
The Montgomery County Sheriff Office also offers a search of registered sex offender on its free app.
