OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Halloween is finally here, but for some of us, it's more than just ghosts and goblins to be worried about.
Before kids go house-to-house trick-or-treating, local law enforcement wants you to know just whose door your knocking on.
"We want the parents to be aware of where these people are residing inside the community and not to trick-or-treat there," Officer John Lacy with the Overland Park Police Department said.
It's up to parents to check on the Kansas side of the metro because state laws don't prevent sex offenders from passing out candy, even if they've been convicted of sex crimes involving children. However, if they're still on parole or probation, they are not allowed to decorate or pass out candy.
"Most of them cooperate, most of them know that [they] shouldn't be giving out candy and at the same time, [they] shouldn't be interacting with kids," Lacy said.
On Halloween night, police will be patrolling a little bit differently, focusing more on neighborhoods.
"We're not on the main streets like Metcalf or Nall, there's not many kids trick-or-treating on those streets," Lacy said.
Before kids ring any doorbells, police are making it easy for parents to do a quick safety search.
"Click on that website, find out where these people live, and stay away," Lacy said.
It's also a good idea to send trick-or-treaters out wearing reflectors so they're easy for drivers to spot, especially since some may be impaired.
"We do see an increase of people driving under the influence of alcohol," Lacy said.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports three times more drunk driving crashes on Halloween than on New Year's Eve.
