Halloween Safety Tool: See Where Sex Offenders Live in Your Neighborhood
Before you turn your costumed kids loose to stuff their pillow cases full of candy, check out this map!
How well do you know your neighbors? You'd like to believe that the people in your neighborhood are kind, stand-up individuals who want nothing else other than to give your kids a full size Snickers bar on Halloween.
But what if they aren't? What if they are a sex offender? When you're meeting your neighbors, that's not really something that comes up in conversation. If you DID know, you certainly wouldn't let your child ring their doorbell during trick-or-treat! Well did you know there's an easy way to find out if there's a sex offender living in your neighborhood without having to ask those tough questions?
In an effort to keep the public safe and informed, the Idaho State Police puts together an interactive map showing the address of registered sex offender's addresses. You can put in your address and see the sex offenders registered within one, three or file miles from your home. Clicking on the marks on the map will show you their photo and what they were charged with.
Individuals listed on the interactive map are supposed to keep their lights off, indicating that they are NOT taking part in trick-or-treat, but this is another way to stay informed.
Halloween aside, the map is accessible year round and as a woman who frequently runs alone in my neighborhood, I appreciate knowing that it's available. There are four offenders that live on one of the routes I run near my home. There are 444 within a 5 mile radius of it. Click the button below to check your neighborhood.
It's important to note that this map exists for the sole purpose of protecting/informing the public, not to harass or intimidate anyone. If you use the registry to commit a criminal act against someone, you could be arrested and prosecuted.