Decatur Police Sends Along Halloween Safety Tips
Decatur Metro | October 28, 2011Deputy Chief Keith Lee sends along this list of Halloween safety tips and notes that DPD will have extra officers on duty Monday…
Halloween may be a fun day for children, but for parents, trick-or-treat time can be a little tricky. To make Halloween a treat for all, follow these safety tips:
1) MAKE SURE YOUR CHILDREN DRESS UP SAFELY
A) Check that the costumes are flame retardant so the little ones are not in danger near burning jack-o-lanterns and other fire hazards.B) Keep costumes short to prevent trips, falls, and other bumps in the night.
C) Try make-up instead of a mask. Masks can be hot and uncomfortable. More importantly, they can obstruct a child’s vision, which can be dangerous when crossing streets and going up and down steps.
D) Make sure children wear light colors or put reflective tape on their costumes.
E) Trick-or-treaters should always walk in groups so they are not tempting targets for real-life goblins. Parents should accompany their children when trick-or-treating, even the older children.
2) MAKE TRICK-OR-TREATING TROUBLE FREE
A) Parents, if you are not accompanying your older children, map out a safe route so you will know where they are, at all times. Tell them to visit homes of people known and trusted by your family, where outside lights are on.B) Have your children trick-or-treat during early hours of the evening or before 8:30pm. If it’s dark, make sure someone has a flashlight and select well-lit streets.
C) Make sure children know not to ever enter strange houses or stranger’s cars, especially, when trick-or-treating.
D) Your children should be advised to tell an adult or older teenager if a stranger suggests that they come into his/her home or asks them to do something they believe is wrong or makes them feel uncomfortable. They should also call 911.
CONSIDER THIS
A) Parents and children can avoid trick-or-treating troubles by organizing a Halloween costume party in your own home with treats, games, contests, music and much more.
B) Parents, if applicable, please park your vehicles in the driveway on Halloween so that on-street parking is minimized. That way, children who are crossing the street are more visible and will not be blocked by vehicles on the streets. There should be a noticeable difference in being able to see children on sidewalks and street curbs who are attempting to cross the street.
TREATS
1) Children need to know not to eat their treats until they get home. One way to keep trick-or-treaters from digging into their bags while they are still out is to feed them a meal or snack beforehand.Inspect all treats at home in a well-lighted place.
What to eat? Only unopened candies and other treats that are in original wrappers. Don’t forget to inspect fruit and homemade goodies for anything suspicious. By all means, remind children not to eat everything at once or they will become sick.
Halloween can be a lot of fun for parents and children if everyone remembers the tricks and the treats of playing safe. Remember, the safest Halloween party is in your own home!!
DRESSED UP & DANGEROUS?
Halloween blood and gore are harmless for the most part but sometimes dressing up as a superhero, a swash-bucking pirate, or an alien, coupled with the excitement of Halloween, can bring out aggressive behavior. Even fake knives, swords, guns, and other costume accessories can hurt people. If these objects are part of a child’s costume it should be made with cardboard or other flexible materials. Better yet, challenge children to create costumes that don’t need weapons to be scary and fun.
Remember to Call the Decatur Police Department In Case of an Emergency
Dial 911
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Serious question — is this for real?
Hmmm…my parents never had the official Decatur Halloween safety guide. It’s a wonder I made it out of childhood alive!
Counterpoint:
http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/making-up-halloween-fears/#entry
Knew that was coming.
Phew! And here I was about to let my five-year-old trick or treat by herself in masked, long-robed, gun-toting, blood splattered costume, hitchhiking in strangers’ cars from neighborhood to neighborhood in a candy-induced coma until the wee hours of the morning. I’ll now be sure she brings along her baby brother to keep her company – just to be safe.
And if the Police did not put something out, you would be posting about that also. GET OVER IT….
I don’t have kids so i will refrain from commenting about safety tips for parents (seriously biting down on tongue to not mention those happy unsafe Halloweens of years gone by).
As a homeowner who celebrates the holiday though, thought I’d suggest if you plan to give out candy that you take a look at the approach to your door this weekend from an excited costumed kid’s point of view. Jack-o-lanterns on the front steps, low spooky lighting, that decorative boulder right at shin level, the hole in the driveway that you keep meaning to patch, your prize rosebushes that happen to be on the shortest route between your neighbor’s candy station and yours – stumbling and tears just waiting to happen. Put out a few extra lights, move stuff, rope areas off. We usually give out candy at the bottom of the stairs since we get so much traffic and I put rope lights or Christmas lights along the path I want the kids to take.
If you don’t want the trick-or-treaters bothering you, turning off the lights doesn’t necessarily discourage them from tromping up to your front door and disturbing your dinner or driving your dogs nuts. Block the access at the bottom of the stairs, close the gate, put up some sawhorses if you really want to be left alone.
Good grief, what’s wrong with the police putting out a safety guide? It’s mayhem on Halloween in my neighborhood and a child could easily get lost or separated from his parents. The police are just trying to be helpful.
I wonder if DPD will take a night off from ticketing bike riders to nab 8 year-olds for jaywalking?