Tag: Halloween

GA: Want to avoid sex offenders in your neighborhood this Halloween? Read this before trick-or-treating

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Source: fox5atlanta.com 10/23/23 There are over 24,500 registered sex offenders in the state of Georgia. Only some of them have to follow a special set of rules on Halloween.  Those who are on parole or probation must: Turn off all outside lights Not decorate their home for the holiday, or pass out candy Not answer the door, unless it’s for a law enforcement officer or an emergency responder In the past, the Atlanta Police Department has sent parole officers to visit the homes of sex offenders throughout the night to…

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MO: Briefs Filed Regarding Request to Stop Missouri’s Halloween Sign Mandate

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Source: ACSOL Briefs have been filed by both parties, in support of and in opposition to, a motion for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO).  If the motion is granted, registrants in Missouri would not be required to post signs on the front door of their homes on Halloween. Plaintiff’s reply brief was filed today as required by the court.  That brief focuses on the fact that the sign mandate violates the First Amendment because it is compelled speech, required by the government and objected to by the registrant.  The brief…

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MO: Hazelwood man’s Halloween displays were lavish. A sex offender law forced him to quit

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Source: stltoday.com 10/9/23 ST. LOUIS — Thomas Sanderson’s Halloween festivities were a neighborhood tradition. For more than two decades, the Hazelwood resident put together a “lavish display” featuring animatronic figures and creatures, lights, music, fog machines, a bonfire and — of course — candy. But on Halloween in 2022, a half-dozen police cars descended upon Sanderson’s property and asked to search his home. Sanderson had been convicted of a sex offense in 2006, and police argued he had violated a state law that prohibits people on the sex offender registry…

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ACSOL News Alert: Federal Lawsuit Challenges Missouri Halloween Sign Requirement

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A lawsuit was filed in a federal district court this week challenging a state law in Missouri that requires registrants to post a sign on the front door of their home on Halloween.  The plaintiff in the case, Thomas J. Sanderson, was arrested last year for violating that and other requirements of the state law at issue. The basis of the legal challenge is the First Amendment that not only allows citizens to speak but also protects citizens from compelled speech which has been defined as a requirement to utter…

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MO: Police: Registered sex offender arrested after handing out Halloween candy in Hazelwood

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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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On Halloween, some states take extra safety measures to keep sex offenders away from kids

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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…

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NV: Las Vegas police partner with smartphone app to show sex offenders in neighborhoods ahead of Halloween

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Source: 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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UT: TRICK OR RETREAT: Why doesn’t Utah have sex offender laws for Halloween?

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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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NY: Misleading article title stokes Halloween hysteria

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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…

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Update: ACSOL Demands End of Halloween Signs for 2 county sheriff’s offices

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ACSOL 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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AR: FCSO warns parents against trick-or-treating certain addresses

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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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FL: Jacksonville won’t require sex offenders to post ‘no candy’ signs outside home for Halloween

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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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FL: What do you think about Jacksonville not enforcing the sign requirement for sex offenders on Halloween?

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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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GA: 11th Circuit Says a Sheriff Violated the First Amendment by Posting Warning Signs on the Lawns of Registered Sex Offenders

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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…

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11th Circuit Declares Halloween Signs Violate First Amendment

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Source: 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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GA: Georgia sex offenders take fight over ‘no-trick-or-treat’ warning signs to 11th Circuit

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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…

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