Simple Online Tools Help Keep Your Kids Safe This Halloween

(East Texas) This is the week kids of all ages look forward to every year, Halloween week! They can’t wait to put on their favorite costumes, grab their candy buckets, and head out for a night of trick-or-treating, hoping to bring home a record haul of sweets.

For the most part, trick-or-treating in East Texas is safe and fun. But parents should still be cautious about which houses their kids visit, and once the door-knocking and doorbell-ringing are done, it’s always a good idea to inspect the candy before anyone digs in.

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How Well Do You Know Your Neighborhood?

Here’s a question every parent should ask before Halloween night: How well do you know the people living around you? And if you’re taking your kids to another neighborhood, do you know who lives there?

It’s possible that you and your kids could unknowingly ring the doorbell of a registered sex offender. That’s why it’s smart to do a quick check before heading out.

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Tools to Help You Stay Informed

Thankfully, there are free online tools that help parents see where registered sex offenders live in any Texas neighborhood:

Family Watchdog
Simply enter an address, and the map will populate with color-coded pins showing the location of registered sex offenders nearby. Each color represents the type of offense, and you can click on a marker for more details.

City-Data.com
Another helpful resource that displays the locations of registered offenders in your city. Clicking a pin will show the person’s name, address, physical details, and a link to official public records.

Texas DPS
This interactive map will give you information on registered sex offenders in the Texas DPS database. You do not need to know a specific address; just type in the city name, and the map will populate with information that you can zoom in on.

You can also check your local sheriff’s office website; most law enforcement agencies in Texas maintain their own sex offender registry lookup tool for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Use This Information Responsibly

Information is knowledge, and knowledge is powerful when it comes to protecting your kids during a fun time of the year. The information you discover should be used accordingly and never be used to intimidate, provoke, threaten, or harass any individual listed on these sites.