Twinsburg Police Department Offers Halloween Safety Tips

As Monday, Oct. 31 approaches (a.k.a. Halloween), your kids are probably anxiously awaiting the chance to don their brand new costumes and raid the neighborhood for all the treats they can plunder.

Parents, however, might not be as excited about trick-or-treat because they worry for their children's safety.

As Twinsburg celebrates Halloween by trick-or-treat from 6-8 p.m., Chief Chris Noga talked with Twinsburg Patch about ways to help your little witches and superheros to have a safe and fun Halloween.

Make sure your child is visible. Prepare your kid with items such as a flashlight, glow bracelet or necklace, or flashing attire for visibility, especially with high amounts of foot and car traffic.

"We want to make sure the little ones are visible those people who are out driving around," Noga said.

Plan out a route. It may seem like too much detail to plan out a certain route for your kids, but Noga says being familiar with a neighborhood is important before parents go out with their kids, especially if it's not the typical subdivision or a place they aren't used to.

No lights, no candy. It may seem like common sense, but make sure children go to houses that only have lights on and look involved in trick-or-treat. If there aren't any lights on, it may be a sign that they don't want to be bothered.

"It's more of a respect issue," Noga said. "We've seen that more and more throughout the years, resident's not participating and they'll generally have their lights turned off."

No running. Trick-or-treaters should walk, not run, and should never cut across lawns or driveways. Obstacles could exist that aren't readily visible in the evening.

Parents should always go with their children. Most parents wouldn't let their 6-year-old Transformer go around the neighborhood by himself, but Noga says that even if your child is a teenager, parents should still be with them.

"Certainly having a parent with you is that much more of a level of safety than without," Noga said.

But if it's that detrimental to their social life to be seen with a parent, Noga said to make sure they carry a cell phone with them, know where they're going, and have a firm time to be home by.

Inspect candy they get before it's eaten. Noga hasn't heard of this issue as far as he can recall, but it's always a safe bet to make sure everything looks ok before they rip into it.

"You want to make sure the pre-packaged stuff is wrapped up so you know that it probably hasn't been tampered with," Noga said.

But the experienced father in Noga has other motives.

"It keeps them from getting that sugar rush at eight o'clock at night, which means their not going to fall asleep until 11," he joked.

To ensure that this Halloween is a safe one, Noga said extra patrols will be out in the neighborhoods. Police are also asking parents and children to head home at 8 p.m., once trick-or-treat ends.