In addition to monitoring your child’s candy consumption on Halloween night, be sure to know which houses are safe to approach for trick-or-treating. Citizens like to think that every home is like their own, unfortunately that is not reality.

In Walker County, there are approximately 110 registered sex offenders, and Halloween provides a perfect opportunity for one of them to become acquainted with you and or your children.

“We do the best we can in making sure sex offenders live where they tell us, so it is crucial that our citizens visit our website www.walkerso.com, to see who and where an offender might be living within their neighborhood,” said Sheriff Steve Wilson.

Citizens are encouraged to look up important addresses and review the list of registered sex offenders living within a 0.25-2 mile radius of that specific address.

Sheriff Wilson said, “The mapping and address feature found on the website pinpoints exactly where an offender lives, therefore, educating citizens on which houses to avoid while trick-or-treating."

Perhaps the most beneficial aspect of the address monitoring feature is that once your important addresses and e-mail address have been registered the system will automatically alert you via e-mail when an offender moves within 0.25-2 mile radius of the registered address.

“If you aren’t planning on trick-or-treating in your neighborhood but will be in a family or friends neighborhood, register their address beforehand so you know which houses to avoid. You can register any and all of the addresses where your children spend a lot of time, for example friends, grandparents, or babysitters addresses” said Sheriff Wilson.

The alerts are in real-time and sent out via e-mail as soon as a new offender has registered with the Walker County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Wilson said, “The benefit of registering for this confidential e-mail alert service allows us to monitor your important addresses for you, thereby keeping you up to date of newly registered offenders and making it unnecessary for you to have to check your important addresses daily or even weekly."

The website for the Walker County Sheriff’s Office is www.walkerso.com. Citizens should click on the link “locate registered sex offenders” and follow the instructions to check their neighborhood and sign up to receive e-mail alerts.

Sheriff Wilson encourages everyone to have a fun and safe Halloween. "Knowledge is power and knowing where the registered sex offenders reside in your area can help you make the best choices for safe and enjoyable Halloween activities."

For further information, please call the Walker County Sheriff’s Office at 706 638-1909, ext. 240, or mason.brewer@walkerso.com (Sgt. K. Mason Brewer).