Georgia police post warnings outside sex offenders’ homes ahead of Halloween
Signs warn trick or treaters to avoid knocking on doors of houses belonging to sex criminals
A sheriff’s department in Georgia has posted “no trick or treating” signs outside sex offenders’ houses to warn off Halloween revellers.
Over the weekend, the Butts County sheriff and his deputies visited each of the 54 registered sex offenders in the county and erected eye-catching signs in their front gardens.
Illustrated with stop signs and a bag of Halloween sweets inside a caution symbol, the posters warn: “No Trick or Treating at this Address - a community safety message from Butts County Sheriff Gary Long”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In previous years, police in Butts County have posted a small warning note on the doors of residents convicted of sexual offences to prevent children from knocking to ask for sweets.
However, this year Sheriff Long decided to “increase visibility”, CBS reports, after a trick or treating party in the town square was cancelled, meaning “thousands of kids will be trick-or-treating the old fashioned way: house-to-house”.
Long told CBS that the measure was fully within his legal obligation to inform the local community of the presence of sex offenders, but admitted that some of those identified had complained of the “embarrassment” of being forced to display the sign outside their house.
“I’m not trying to humiliate ‘em or anything like that,” he said. “But at the end of the day if, in fact, we had a child that fell victim to a sexual assault, especially by a convicted sex offender, I don't think I could sleep at night.”
Georgia state law already “prohibits registered sex offenders from placing Halloween decorations on their property”, USA Today reports.
Some in the state want to go even further, the newspaper reports. The mayor of the east Georgia town of Grovetown announced plans to round up all sex offenders on probation and hold them in City Hall on Halloween night.
However, after the plan drew national attention, felons will instead be required to “report to local Georgia Department of Community Supervision offices or alternative, undisclosed meeting locations during trick-or-treating hours”, the Augusta Chronicle reports.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 2, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - anti-fascism, early voter turnout, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Tourist sparks bomb alert after accidentally ordering a 'grenade'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Green man will stay on longer for fat Brits
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
George Floyd legacy: what has changed in the US three years on
feature Police officers are more accountable but has ‘white empathy’ hit a wall?
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
How your laughter shows when you’re in love
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By The Week Staff Published
-
US elite crime-fighting units: a recipe for trouble?
feature Tyre Nichols’ death in Memphis highlights the dangers of using of elite crime-fighting units
By The Week Staff Published
-
What happened to Tyre Nichols?
Speed Read President Biden calls for ‘peaceful protest’ ahead of video release showing Memphis police officers fatally injuring 29-year-old
By Jamie Timson Published
-
Three children dead after plunging into frozen Solihull lake
Speed Read Search continues for unconfirmed number of other children, with rescue ‘now a recovery operation’
By The Week Staff Published
-
How the Seoul Halloween crowd crush happened
feature Authorities criticised after at least 154 people killed in stampede in South Korean capital
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published