Source: bransontrilakesnews.com 11/15/22 The Branson Police Department announced a check of sex offenders on Halloween 2022 had 25% out of compliance with laws related to the holiday. … Schmitt said none of the violations involved any contact with children. Read the full article
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Source: fox2now.com 11/4/22 Police arrested a registered sex offender Friday accused of violating state law and handing out candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween in Hazelwood. Prosecutors have charged Thomas ____ with one count of “failure to comply with Halloween related restrictions for sex offenders.” As part of Missouri state law, registered sex offenders cannot go outside to interact with children, cannot have outside lights on and are required to post a sign stating no candy or treats are available at the home on Halloween night. Read the full article
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Source: msn.com for WXLTV.com 10/28/22 Vigilante sheriff posts signs in front of the homes of registrants Watch the video
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Source: cnn.com 10/30/22 As people stock up on Halloween candy, some cities and states are imposing extra measures to make sure sex offenders don’t answer when little ghouls and goblins knock on their doors. In several states, including Georgia and California, some supervised sex offenders are not allowed to have contact with kids under 18. With that in mind, law enforcement agencies are taking steps on Halloween to ensure sex offenders don’t come near trick-or-treaters. “I don’t let my kids roam the neighborhood alone on Halloween for many reasons,” said…
Read MoreSource: foxnews.com 10/28/22 Parents can view registered sex offenders’ addresses on the Offender Watch app, which partnered with Las Vegas police The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) has partnered with an app that show residents where sex offenders live in their neighborhoods ahead of Halloween. The free app called Offender Watch says on its website that it allows parents to “track your children, map offenders nearby, get alerts if your child is contacted or lingers near an offender’s residence, safety tips, and more.” LVMPD partnered with the app so…
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Source: abc4.com 10/27/22 SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Several states across the country have different laws limiting what sex offenders can do around children on Halloween. This includes not being allowed to pass out candy, display decorations, dress up in a costume or answer the door to trick-or-treaters on Halloween. However, Utah does not have any of those laws. … ABC4 News asked multiple police agencies in Utah how often they see registered sex offenders creating problems on Halloween. Both the West Jordan Police Department and Unified Police…
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Source: hudsonvalleypost.com 10/28/22 Close to 100 New York sex offenders won’t be on the streets as Hudson Valley children try to enjoy Halloween. Westchester County is trying to make sure local sex offenders are off the streets while children trick-or-treat in the region this Halloween. “When it comes time for trick-or-treaters to knock on doors this Halloween, local sex offenders will once again be attending an Anti-Sexual Abuse Victim Impact Program, designed to keep sex offenders off the streets. The annual program is run by the Westchester County Department of…
Read MoreACSOL sent a letter today demanding that the Sheriff in Faulkner County, Arkansas, immediately end a county wide program that requires all registrants in that county to post a sign on the front door of their home on Halloween. The letter warns that if this demand is not met, all available legal remedies will be pursued. “Courts have consistently determined that Halloween sign requirements for registrants are unconstitutional,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “That is because the signs are compelled government speech and violate the First Amendment.” The most…
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Source: thecabin.net 10/26/22 The Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office is placing door hangers on the doors of sex offenders warning “No Trick-or-Treat at this Address.” The community effort, led by Sex Offender Coordinator Chelsea McDaniel and FCSO Reserve Commander Brian Tyner, is designed to help community members stay safe this Halloween, FCSO spokesman Sherry Skaggs said. Commander Tyner said: “This was an opportunity for the Reserve Unit to take on a mission to improve community safety.” While signs have traditionally been placed on the doors of sex offenders on active probation…
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Source: news.yahoo.com 10/19/22 A warning to parents planning trick-or-treating routes: The City of Jacksonville will not require registered sex offenders or predators to post a sign outside their home indicating no trick-or-treaters allowed. Typically, on Halloween, registered sex offenders and predators have to post a sign saying “no candy.” The requirement is being challenged by two registered sex offenders who filed a lawsuit against the city, saying the ordinance violates their constitutional rights. Some neighbors Action News Jax spoke with said, they agree. “I think the sign — it’d be…
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Source: news4jax.com 9/22/22 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two registered sex offenders filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Jacksonville because they want to decorate for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holidays. Thursday, the offenders asked the judge to pause the city sign requirement outside their home because they believe it’s unconstitutional. Sex offenders in Jacksonville are required to have signs posted outside their home that read “no candy or treats here” so that children don’t trick-or-treat at their homes on Halloween. Because of the lawsuit, the city of Jacksonville has…
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Source: Reason.com 2/1/22 Butts County, Georgia, Sheriff Gary Long cited no evidence to support his pre-Halloween stunt. JACOB SULLUM | 2.1.2022 6:25 PM A Georgia sheriff violated the First Amendment when he posted signs on the lawns of registered sex offenders to warn away trick-or-treaters, a federal appeals court said in a recent ruling. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit unanimously concluded that the signs amounted to unconstitutional government-compelled speech. The decision strikes a blow against irrational policies that stigmatize sex offenders without any plausible…
Read MoreSource: ACSOL The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision today that declares Halloween signs posted in a registrant’s front yard violate the First Amendment. Specifically, the Court ruled that the signs violated the registrant’s right to be free from being forced to host a government message on his private property. At issue were signs posted by the sheriff in Butts County, Georgia. In its decision, the Court stated “that the Sheriff’s interest in protecting children from sexual abuse is compelling. However, the yard signs are not narrowly tailored…
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Source: courthousenews.com 12/18/2021 A group of registered sex offenders have asked the appeals court to overturn a federal judge’s ruling in favor of a sheriff’s office that posted signs telling trick-or-treaters to keep away from the offenders’ homes on Halloween. ATLANTA (CN) — A class of registered sex offenders asked an 11th Circuit panel Friday to overturn a federal judge’s ruling allowing Georgia sheriff’s deputies to put warning signs on their lawns before Halloween. The Butts County Sheriff’s Office has argued in legal briefs that it was merely trying to…
Read MoreSource: wevv.com 10/30/21 Halloween is nearly here. Soon thousands of Tri-State children will flock to the streets for their fill of candy and frights, but while costumes monsters and villains are out in good fun, there’s a fear real predators might be lurking in the shadows. “You don’t know what situation you’re going to be faced with, which can be scary,” Trish Crawford said. “You don’t know who you’re going to run into when you go to someone’s door. My son is five now but I think even as, this…
Read MoreSource: thecrimereport.org 10/26/21 Media fearmongering over “Registered Sex Offenders” in the community has become an annual Halloween tradition in the same way as razor blades and poison in candy. Wendy Murphy (who famously stated she “never met a false rape claim” during the Duke Lacrosse case) declared in the Boston Herald that “Halloween is like Christmas for sex offenders,” and local news outlets are adding advice to consult the registry as a “safety tip.” A careful look at available research proves such fears are misplaced. But it hasn’t prevented five…
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Source: fox13memphis.com 10/18/21 The Tennessee Department of Corrections is working to keep kids safe from predators on Halloween. TDOC launched ‘Operation Blackout’ earlier this month, an annual statewide operation to ensure sex offenders are complying with the conditions of their supervision, including special condition related to the Halloween holiday, according to a release from TDOC. All registered sex offenders must follow a specific set of rules: no Halloween decorations, no attending Halloween/fall events, no giving out Halloween candy, and porch lights must be turned off on Halloween night. According to…
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Source: nwitimes.com 10/15/21 LAPORTE COUNTY — As trick-or-treating season will soon entice children to front doors across the Region, law enforcement launched “Operation Candy Corn Compliance” to target violent sex offenders. On Thursday the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office conducted the countywide initiative to ensure sexually violent predators and offenders against children are in compliance of being registered as a sex offender. “All 123 of the classified and registered sexually violent predators and offenders against children were specifically targeted because of the upcoming trick-or-treat that will be taking place during the…
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