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Protect Little Ghouls, Goblins On Halloween

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 31, 2007

Updated: 10/29/2007 09:11 pm

When I was in middle school, I was trick-or-treating with a friend one Halloween night.

She and I walked from house to house dressed as sock hop girls from the '50s. We came upon a house that was illuminated by a porch light, and we knocked. An older man answered the door in his robe and looked at us in confusion. We looked at him with excitement in our eyes as we yelled 'Trick or treat!'

The man asked us to hold on for a minute, and we could smell the alcohol on his breath. He stumbled away and returned, clutching an unknown object. He gave us a big, toothless smile and placed the mystery item deep into my friend's bag.

Once we were in the street, my friend opened her bag and found a half-eaten cracker. We howled with laughter realizing we had received the trick, not the treat.

Although this was humorous to us at the time, as an adult and a law enforcement officer, I can see how lucky we were that the chewed cracker was all we were given.

Children love Halloween. It's the one time of year that they can be anything or anyone they want to be. And as parents, it's our job to keep our little ghouls and goblins safe.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office recommends limiting trick-or-treating to your neighborhood. Make sure children are wearing costumes that allow for freedom of movement, good visibility and the ability to watch and listen for oncoming vehicles. Most costume shops sell Halloween flashlights shaped like pumpkins and monsters. Reflective strips can be added to clothing to protect children while crossing the street.

Children should travel with a friend, a group or a trusted adult. Find shopping malls within your area that offer trick-or-treating, or sponsor a Halloween party for the children in the neighborhood.

Check over treats before allowing children to eat them. Use discretion about homemade items. If you are going to allow your children to eat unwrapped food such as fruits and baked goods, we recommend cutting the items into pieces and thoroughly inspecting them.

Charity Arthur is a community resource deputy for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, working in the northwest area of the county. If you have questions for her, or suggestions for future topics for her monthly crime prevention column, she can be re

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