The modern celebration of Halloween focuses on fun, with parties, fall festivals and trick-or-treating, but parents and guardians can take a few extra steps to prevent a fright on Halloween night.
Before donning costumes, any caregiver from mom and dad to the babysitter can pull up the county or state sex offender registry or map online, pinpoint their neighborhood and determine if there are any houses to avoid.
Georgia law states that sex offenders may not make contact, directly or indirectly, with any child under the age of 18 through any means of communication, employment, volunteer activity or otherwise.
AccessWDUN covers a 10 county area, and sometimes more. Below are links to available sex offender registries or maps in those counties, as well as the statewide database.
Habersham County (utilizes icrimewatch.com)
Lumpkin County (utilizes HomeFacts.com)
Georgia Bureau of Investigation
Banks, Barrow, Dawson and Jackson counties utilize the statewide database provided by the GBI.
Local safety officials also offered some standard tips for a great trick-or-treating experience. Gwinnett County Fire Captain Tommy Rutledge said first, select a safe location.
"Allow your children to trick-or-treat in familiar neighborhoods," Rutledge said. "Never go to a strange street or strange neighborhood to go door to door."
He also encouraged kids to practice safe crowd habits. "We encourage kids to walk, not run between houses. Also, walk on sidewalks when possible to make sure they are not walking in the middle of the roadway." In addition, he said bring a flash light, wear bright clothing and travel in a group.
Motorists also need to watch out for trick-or-treaters, exercising extra caution after dark.
