False Fear: Halloween Haunts Registered Sex Offenders

Candy and costumes cover the Tri-State on Halloween night, often under the watchful eye of mom and dad. But who’s watching the people who can’t be seen?

Whether it’s called “Operation Trick or Treat,” or “Halloween Search,” or any other name with a black and orange theme, law enforcement across the country check up on registered sex offenders on the last day of October.

It’s a law in many states and a routine for cops. But some say it’s not sex offenders you should be worried about.

A national civil rights group, Reform Sex Offender Laws, is calling out legislation and police for wasting time and effort checking on sex offenders in your neighborhood, and they’re calling out news stories for feeding the hysteria. The group hopes to put an end to fear.

Rachel Hibbs in Evansville says she’s seen the sex offender registry map in her neighborhood. “There’s about 20 that live around here,” she says trick-or-treating with her kids in Jacobsville.

Costumed kids collect candy in a practice that goes against everything most parents preach. But this story isn’t supposed to scare you into staying home.

Vanderburgh County Sheriff, Dave Wedding says sex offenders typically don’t cause problems on Halloween night, and rarely are there ever major problems in the county. “Very very seldom have we every had any issues with people trick-or-treating.”

Executive Director of RSOL, Brenda Jones is flipping the script on a traditional Halloween scare story.

“It’s a myth that anybody has ever been harmed by someone on the registry on Halloween,” she says. “There’s absolutely zero – not like slim chance, we can’t find any recorded instances.”

Laws vary greatly across the country and some keep sex offenders in the dark on Halloween night. Jones says that’s too harsh and is “increasing punishment after a person’s finished their sentence.”

Laws vary in the Tri-State too, depending which state you call home. Illinois makes all sex offenders turn off the lights and keep their candy. Indiana only prevents sex offenders on parole from playing along. Kentucky law enforcement officials say the state doesn’t have any restrictive laws.

Jazmyn Anderson says she is concerned about many things in her Jacobsville neighborhood, but sex offenders don’t top the list. “I’m more worried about violence than a sex offender stealing one of my kids.”

Illinois and Indiana law enforcement make it a routine to check sex offenders on Halloween night, based on state law. Kentucky there is no extra restriction, but some agencies may check on their own accord.

RSOL is challenging legislators to change the law and put police resources in more productive places. Officials say there’s a much greater chance of kids being hit by a car than snatched by a child predator.

Sheriff Wedding says the threat of abductions in Evansville is low. “The thought of somebody being molested doesn’t appear to be that prominent,” he says, “but it certainly something to be aware of.”