National Alert Registry: Prepare for Sex Offenders on Halloween

The National Alert Registry at RegisteredOffendersList.org has developed resources for parents to help protect their children from registered sex offenders this Halloween. In a four-step preparedness program, The National Alert Registry provides parents with tools for:

Step 1: Being Prepared
Plan a route that your children should follow if they are trick or treating. Get a free Child ID Kit to help authorities identify your child in case of an emergency.

Step 2: Being Involved
Know who your children are taking with them when they go trick or treating. Always make sure there is a trustworthy, responsible adult with the group. Review the 10 simple rules for protecting your children suggested in the National Alert Registry

Step 3: Being Aware
Schedule curfews for your children to return from trick or treating. Have set times when your children check in with you while trick or treating. Print the list of emergency parent resources and hang it on the refrigerator. Print a map of the registered sex offenders in your area using the resources at the National Alert Registry.

Step 4: Being Informed
Know where the sex predators are in your neighborhood. Watch for signs posted in many states by law enforcement officials that say "No Candy at This Residence". You can become a "Red Alert" member of the National Alert Registry and add a map for the from which your child will begin trick or treating.

There are at least 10 states that have passed "No Candy" laws that restrict sex offenders from participating in Halloween activities. Some states that have No Candy laws are Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, New York, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Illinois, New Jersey, and Delaware. In New York, Operation Halloween: Zero Tolerance uses investigators that make unannounced home visits, curfew checks, and phone calls to enforce the sex offender No Candy laws.