This Halloween, law enforcement agencies are working hard to ensure children stay safe.
On Halloween night, the California Division of Adult Parole Operations will be conducting compliance checks on known sex offenders as part of Operation Boo.
The department says sex offenders must also abide by the following rules on Halloween night:
- A 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. curfew during which parolees must remain indoors;
- All exterior lights of their homes must be turned off so that it looks as if no one is home, which discourages children from approaching;
- No offering of Halloween candy and no Halloween decorations are allowed;
- During the curfew, sex offender parolees can only open the door to respond to law enforcement, such as parole agents who are patrolling their caseload to ensure compliance.
The operation is in part due to Megan's Law. The law mandates that the California Department of Justice notify the public about specified registered sex offenders.
Megan’s Law also authorizes law enforcement agencies to notify the public about sex offenders posing a risk to the public.
The law is named after 7-year-old Megan Kanka, who was raped and killed by a known child molester who had moved across the street from the Kanka family without their knowledge.
Following the tragedy, the family worked to have local communities warned about sex offenders in the area and the law was enacted in 1966.
All states within the U.S. now have some form of Megan’s Law.
To search the California Sex Registry and find out if there are known sex offenders in your neighborhood, click here.
