State Police Share Tips to Protect Kids from Sex Offenders for Halloween

You want to hit something really scary for Halloween? Go check the state's sex offender registry before you go trick-or-treating this year. How do you go about doing it? Louisiana State Police offer some helpful tips:

• Log onto www.lsp.org
• Click on the Sex Offender Registry link
• Click on the Search for Sex Offenders link (State of Louisiana) where all parishes are listed separately by individual links
• Click on the Search National Sex Offender Registry link
• Click on the contact information link (to contact the State Sex Offender and Child Predator Registry)

This process will give you a good idea of which houses to avoid while trick-or-treating. LSP recommends viewing the registered offenders within a 0.25- to 2-mile radius around the area you plan to visit. While you're there, you can also sign up for alerts so that if a sex offender moves within that radius of your home, you'll be notified.

Under current Louisiana law, it is illegal for a registered sex offender to participate in Halloween trick-or-treat activities in any way.  This includes house decoration, attending parties where children could be, and wearing costumes with masks or face paint which would hide their identity. If you become aware of a sex offender who is attending costume parties where children are present or giving out candy, notify local law enforcement immediately. -- LSP press release