VANDERBURGH CO., IN (WFIE) -
As children go 'trick-or-treating' tonight, several agencies are at work to make sure everyone has fun and stays safe.
The Indiana Department of Correction will be monitoring registered sex offenders, throughout the state tonight.
"They can't answer their door to 'trick-or-treaters'," the Department of Correction's Sally Mosley said. "Their outside lights are to remain off. They can't have any Halloween decorations. They have a curfew that starts at 2:00 p.m. today and it ends at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. That is also the same time they have to have these posted on their door, the 'no candy' sign."
Mosley says to make sure registered sex offenders understand the rules, they're required to meet at an undisclosed location.
"We don't want to just throw them all in a room and say, 'Hey, you're basically being locked up on this day," Mosley said. "We want to have some positive things going on. And hopefully, these things can help them while they're on parole."
If you're not sure about sex offenders in your neighborhood, you can always check the online registry. Some parents say they don't always check the online registry, but they believe it is a good idea, especially before trick-or-treating. "No, I don't and I probably should, you know,' Aimee Moorman of Boonville said. "That's a good thing to look into. I get emails on them. Wade is only seven once, my son. So yeah, I definitely want to get him out there and, you know, I wanna be safe and definitely go and watch him very closely."
The DOC also says they will be working with local law enforcement tonight, to periodically make home visits to registered sex offenders. And they say any sex offender caught breaking any of tonight's designated rules, will be prosecuted.
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