October 2016 Newsletter

This Month’s Topic of Interest: October 2016 Halloween Safety Tips

As Halloween descends upon us, memories of crisp autumn air, sweet candy corn, and brightly lit pumpkins come to mind. Growing up in a friendly part of town, I fondly recall the excitement of “trick or treating” with my young friends during our adolescence. Although my neighborhood, located in between Gainesville and the city of Alachua, did not have street lights or sidewalks, I never felt unsafe as we knocked on the doors of the various houses that were decorated with fake spider-webs and other scary ornaments.

That being said, today’s technology allows us to ensure that our children are safer than the generation before them. Cell phone applications can now be utilized to track the whereabouts of your children if you believe they are old enough to “trick or treat” without parental supervision. Also, parents can use the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Neighborhood Search feature online by Googling “sex offender FDLE search” to familiarize themselves with the addresses of local sex offenders who may be located nearby. Finally, children can wear inexpensive led lights on their shoes and/or clothing to make themselves visible to motorists on the road.

Halloween should always be fun and hopefully these tips can help make it safer as well!