St. Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith has instructed his deputies to place signs in the front yards of certain convicted sex offenders to warn kids to stay away during Halloween trick-or-treating.
"One hundred sixty tier-1 offenders, these are the worst-of-the-worst, and we just want to keep our kids safe," says Smith. "This is a new initiative, we're trying to remind parents and kids to stay away from these individuals."
By law, all registered sex offenders face special restrictions on Halloween. Convicted sex offenders are prohibited from any interactions with children--including being required to keep their porch lights out and may not answer their front doors under any circumstances.
"A lot of sheriff's and police departments in our country and in Louisiana are doing it," Smith says.
Sheriff Smith also urges parents to check their children's trick-or-treating route against his agency's list of registered sex offenders.
To go to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office Sex Offender data base, Click Here.