Halloween partiers and sex offenders are on notice this coming week in Lake County. There will be surprise roadside safety checks, and child sex offenders will be checked to make sure they are not handing out treats at their front door.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said they will be running surprise roadside safety checks and additional Halloween patrols between Sunday, Oct. 25, and Friday, Oct. 31, Halloween Day. Many areas will be holding Halloween trick-or-treating hours on Sunday, Oct. 26.
Besides the traffic details, “We are also going to make sure that sex offenders are not giving out candy,” said Sgt. Sara Balmes. Sex offenders are not allowed to be in contact with children and can be arrested if they participate in Halloween. You can find out if there are sex offenders living in your neighborhood by visiting the sheriff’s website, www.lakecountyil.gov/sheriff, and clicking on a tab on the left side of the page.
The roadside safety check is scheduled for Saturday night, Oct. 25, between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., but the location is not being disclosed. Balmes said roadside checks are “an effective tool for generating voluntary compliance.”
She warned the public that there are many alcohol-related crashes in Illinois that take people’s lives and people who have had too much to drink should think about the risk of losing their license, car and freedom.
“If you drive impaired, law enforcement will arrest you. Deputies working these details will also look for drivers operating vehicles in an unsafe manner, driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license and to ensure all vehicle code laws are being followed,” she said.
Funding for this program came from a grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Administration. The grant is administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Traffic Safety.
