With Halloween right around the corner and children being responsible for selling fundraiser items for their schools, clubs and sports teams, the Webster Parish Sheriff's Department believes it is crucial that parents know which houses children should avoid when trick-or-treating or selling door-to-door.  The Department advises parents to utilize the OffenderWatch tool located on their website at www.webstersheriff.org.

"Citizens would like to think that every home is like their own," explained Deputy Debbie Haynes, Webster Sheriff's sex offender officer. "Unfortunately that is not reality."

Haynes urges parents to be aware of all potential dangers involved in neighborhood visits to strangers' homes--including an awareness of the residences of registered sex offenders.  While not all registered sex offenders are considered child predators, they are all required by Louisiana law to refrain from distributing candy during Halloween.  It is considered ideal, however, that parents of trick-or-treaters know in advance which houses to avoid. 

The OffenderWatch service is one that allows users to determine where sex offenders may be located within their communities; thereby serving as a valuable tool when planning a door-to-door route through the neighborhood.  Additionally, registered users of the free service may also choose to receive regular email notifications when a registered offender relocates within a two mile radius into or out of a specified community.

"This [OffenderWatch] is a great service available to parents," said Sheriff Gary S. Sexton.  "It is a goal of this office to provide accurate information to the public regarding the dangers of sexual predators, and to further build community awareness.  It is imperative that we do what we can to protect our children."

For more information, or to use the OffenderWatch service, visit our website at www.webstersheriff.org to locate the link for OffenderWatch.

Webster Parish Sheriff's Department
Sheriff Gary S. Sexton
410 Main Street
P.O. Box 877
Minden, LA  71058
318-377-1515
admin@webstersheriff.org