Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Urges Parents to Check the Sex Offender Registry Before Halloween

Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana – Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Mancuso wants parents to have real-time access to sex offenders in their neighborhood before their children go Trick-or-Treating this Halloween. “We consistently conduct address verifications for sex offenders and do our best to ensure sex offenders live where they tell us, but we want our citizens to utilize these online tools to see who the registered sex offenders are and where they are living,” says Sheriff Mancuso, “It is critical that you “Know Before You Go” this Halloween.”

Sheriff Mancuso recommends that parents visit the Sex Offender Watch List on the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office website by following this link. Using this database, parents may easily look for offenders in their vicinity. Simply input your address to obtain a downloadable, printable map of your neighborhood and any offenders nearby. “If you aren’t planning on Trick-or-Treating in your own neighborhood, but will be in a different neighborhood, register that address beforehand so you know which houses to avoid,” says Sheriff Mancuso.

Sheriff Mancuso encourages residents to go one step further and sign up for the site's free e-mail notifications while they're there. “You can enter your home, school, or grandparents’ addresses to receive real-time e-mail notifications any time an offender moves within one mile of any address you register. There is no cost for this service to the public, and no limit to the number of addresses you can register. Your email address and physical addresses are all confidential. With these resources available parents can feel confident that they are armed with the necessary tools to keep their children safe this Halloween,” says Sheriff Mancuso.

On Halloween Day, the CPSO Sex Offender Unit and Warrants Division will be monitoring offenders to ensure they are following to their restrictions and obligations.

Other Halloween safety tips to remember:

• Watch out for your children and make sure they are supervised by a trusting adult at all times.
• Keep children off the streets after dark. If they do go out after dark, make sure they wear reflective clothing and carry a flashlight.
• Never let your kids go out with realistic replicas of firearms.
• If your older children are going out alone, give them a curfew and have them tell you what route they will be taking.
• Remind your kids to never enter a stranger’s home or accept a ride from a stranger.
• Motorists should drive slowly and watch closely for trick-or-treaters.