Lafayette Police Department Spokesperson Cpl. Paul Mouton discussed Halloween safety tips today on "Your Afternoon Drive Home."

  • Choose costumes that are flame-retardant and have some type of reflective tape.
  • Carry a working flashlight.
  • Pre-choose a route. Locate sex offenders in the intended trick-or-treating areas at the Lafayette Sex Offender Registry or at the State Sex Offender and Child Predator Registry.
  • Don't send your children out unattended. Be aware of where they're going. Keep a close eye, and don't get distracted with phones.
  • Don't use your vehicle to travel from home-to-home. "It makes it so much more dangerous with the pedestrian traffic," Mouton said.
  • Lock your home when you leave, and leave the lights off if you're away so the trick-or-treaters don't approach the house.
  • Drive with caution and below the speed limit through neighborhoods. Try to use the main thoroughfares where people are less likely to have children.
Mouton said Halloween is typically a "fairly quiet night" for crime, "because there's so many people out and about, the likelihood of something happening with that many witnesses in an area, it actually decreases." Additional patrol officers are sent to neighborhoods, however.

And a tip for adults: "If you're gonna be going out, and you're gonna be consuming adult beverages," Mouton said, "just remember: do not drink and drive, or have a designated driver."

 

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