Trick-or-Treat Safety

[DancingLady]

I didn't go trick-or-treating much as a kid because I was shy and didn't really want to go. I later went mostly to church events.

I have always wondered about the safety issue with trick-or-treating. I have seen children going with other children and no parents. When I was their age I would have assumed I would end up kidnapped if I was not with my parents. Obviously that was an overblown childhood fear, but I do wonder about the safety of these children.

From a cop's perspective, is trick-or-treating a high risk activity for these kids?

 

[Patrick]

In the past neighborhoods were safer in general, my parents let me have free reign over Halloween night so long as I didn't wander more than several streets away, and stuck with the other neighbors' kids. I think in the past communities were more close-knit, and neighbors knew each other better? They would keep an eye out for each others' kids and just have fun. Nowadays people are more shut-in (perhaps due to the Internet and social media, privacy concerns), neighbors are less close than before.

Today I wouldn't let my kids go trick or treating unsupervised, it's just too dangerous.

 

[Teens In Crisis]

I think it's probably an age and responsibility thing. There are numerous studies that say America is safer in many ways than it was just 20-30 years ago, but I'm not sure how reliable that is. I mean, criminals aren't out there talking to pollers are they?

At the end of the day, you have the cut the leash at times, and hope that you gave your kids the skills needed to make good choices.

 

[januz101]

I guess it really depends on what neighborhood you are in. Whether you live in a quiet and peaceful neighborhood with zero crime rate then I guess the parents would let their kids out for the holloween without a guardian to go trick or treating. And the police force would just implement police visibility for crime prevention method.*

 

[DancingLady]

I know there is definitely a larger police presence in town on Halloween, but they are mostly downtown where the partying happens.

 

[Popcorn365]

When I was a kid my dad always took me and my siblings. Even when we were older (11,12,13) he was always there. I don't think I would have gone without him and we lived in a very safe neighborhood growing up. I don't think that it matters if you are in a safe neighborhood or not when it comes to Halloween night. We live out of town and only have a small street for our daughter to trick or treat on and there is only one house out of the ten that pass out candy so we go to a neighborhood just outside of town for her to trick or treat in as do many families. You might know the area but you don't know all of the people that are going to be in the area. I will say though, I didn't see any groups of kids this year without a parental figure with them and the really neat thing (at least where I live) is that most of the parents dress up too and it's a big family event! I would never let me littles go trick or treating without me or my husband.