How To Keep Your Little Monsters Safe On Halloween

How to Keep Your Little MONSTERS HALLOWEEN Safe on HALLOWEEN BY THE NIJMBERS 80% of adults in the US plan to give out candy on Halloween 93% of children, teenagers, and young adults in the US plan to go trick-or-treating or participate in other Halloween activities SCARY TRICK-OR-TREATING STATS More than twice as many children are killed in pedestrian/vehicle accidents on Halloween than on any other day in the year O lin 9 parents report that their children 5 years old or YOUNGER are allowed to go trick-or-treating without adult supervision Only 35% of parents talk to their children every year about Halloween safety Halloween is one of the top 3 most dangerous holidays for children HALLOWEEN AND CRIME In some major US cities, the evening violent crime rate on Halloween is about 50% higher than on any other night during the year * Halloween-night violence peaks in the early evening labout 6pm), when the streets are filled with trick-or-treaters In some areas, there is a 26% increase in reported burglaries around Halloween Car theft can go up as much as 50% on Halloween (NFAMOUS HALLOWEEN CRIMES TONY BAGLEY MURDER, 1994 Tony, his sister, aunt and mother were out trick-or-treating when a man ran into the street with a gun and opened fire on the family, killing Tony and wounding his family members before jumping into a waiting car and speeding AEETIC away. KARL JACKSON MURDER, 1998 After his car was egged by teenagers on Halloween night, Jackson got out to confront the teens. One of them pulled a gun and shot Jackson, killing him instantly. WOODBRIDGE ABDIUCTIONS, 2009 In 2009, three teenage girls were abducted on their way home from trick-or-treating in Woodbridge, Virginia. Two years later, authorities caught Aaron Thomas (pictured left), who by then had become known as the "East Coast Rapist." MARTHA MOXLEY MURDER, 1975 The night before Halloween, Martha Moxley left home to attend a neighborhood party–that was the last time she was seen alive. Her body was found in her own backyard the next morning, and the case remained unsolved for 25 years. PASADENA MURDERS, 1993 On Halloween night in 1993, decades of gang violence culminated in a horrific shooting where a group of five Bloods opened fire on trick-or-treating teenagers, killing three of them and wounding three others. TMOTHY O'BRYAN POISONING, 1974 After trick-or-treating, 8-year-old Timothy O'Bryan ate a Pixy Stix. He immediately began convulsing and died after being rushed to the hospital. Terrifyingly, his assailant was his own father, Ronald O'Bryan. Deep into debt, O'Bryan was hoping to cash in on the life insurance from his kids by poisoning their Halloween candy with cyanide. PROTECTING TRICK-OR-TREATERS FROM SEX OFFENDERS Some states have laws restricting the activities of sex offenders on Halloween Tr k eat or At least 10 states and municipalities have passed “No Candy" laws NO CANDY LAWS No Candy laws limit the activities of registered sex offenders on Halloween. These laws can restrict sex offenders in a number of ways: Prohibit them from passing out candy Prevent them from leaving their house on Halloween night Force them to post signs on their doors that say, “No candy at this residence" Stop them from wearing costumes Ban them from displaying Halloween decorations or having exterior lighting on their property after 5pm **Visit your county's website to see if your area has passed their version of a No Candy Law* NATIONAL ALERT REGISTRY'S 4-STEP HALLOWEEN SAFETY PLAN FOR PARENTS Step I: Be Prepared Step 2: Be Involved Plan the route your kids should follow while trick-or-treating, and in case of emergency be prepared with all the information which Know exactly who your children are trick-or-treating with and make sure a capable and trustworthy adult is always present. may aid authorities in identifying your child. Step 3: Be Aware Step 4: Be Informed Schedule a time by which your children must check in, or you can expect them home. Abiding by this set schedule assures you a head start in notifying the authorities should an emergency You should enforce your own “No Candy Laws" by accessing a map of the registered sex offenders in your neighborhood and ensuring your children bypass those houses in their trick-or-treat OCcur. adventure. Sources: http://www.examiner.com/article/amazing-and-sometimes-horrifying-secrets-about-the- holidays http://www.safekids.org/research-report/halloween-safety-national-survey-parents-kno wledge-attitudes-and-behaviors-october http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/halloween-sex-offender-laws.html http://voices.yahoo.com/national-alert-registry-prepare-sex-offenders-599179.html http://www.registeredoffenderslist.org/halloween.htm http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/sep/11/simi-valley-becomes-first-city-in-county-to-pas s/ Kcheckmate http://boston.com/community/blogs/crime_punishment/2011/10/the_halloween_crime_sp ike.html http://www.kjrh.com/dpp/news/problem_solvers/halloween-is-one-of-the-top-three-most -dangerous-holidays-for-kids http:/www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/insurance/contents/8849673/Burgla ries-rise-by-26pc-over-Halloween.html http://www.mandatory.com/2012/10/22/10-of-the-most-horrible-halloween-crimes/10