No Halloween for sex offenders: Sheriff calls mandatory meeting

By TARA BECKER  tbecker@svnmail.com  800-798-4085, ext. 570

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It’s that time of year again. Kids will be donning their favorite superhero or animal costumes and roaming the neighborhood gathering as much candy as they can.

For them, Halloween is a much-anticipated night of fun and revelry. For their parents, it can be a night of fraught with worry about keeping their children safe.

This year, the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Department wants to alleviate some of that concern.

The brainchild of Whiteside County Sheriff Kelly Wilhelmi, “Project Safe Halloween” requires all sex offenders on probation to come to the Morrison office Oct. 31 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. – the countywide designated trick-or-treating hours – for an informational meeting.

“This takes away any opportunity for these sex offenders to to violate the terms and conditions of their probation or their sex offender status,” Wilhelmi said.

Of the county’s 107 registered sex offenders, only 28 are on probation or conditional discharge. A requirement for all criminal defendants is to meet with a probation officer at least once a month.

The Halloween meeting will count as each offender’s monthly meeting. Probation officer Jeff Staab will discuss changes to state sex offender laws, make sure all attending are in compliance with the terms of their release, and answer any questions they may have.

State law prohibits any sex offender who is on probation, parole or conditional discharge to participate in holiday events, such as handing out candy on Halloween, and all people on probation must meet monthly with their probation officer.

In previous years, Staab has done probation compliance checks by visiting sex offenders.

“Project Safe Halloween,” he said, “is a way to keep the streets safe this Halloween, and to also ensure the sex offender’s own safety.”

It also ensures that each sex offender is complying with the terms of his o her probation regarding holidays, Staab said.

Lee County probation officer Christy Laws, who oversees sex offenders on probation, has worked with Staab in the past to do compliance checks on sex offenders who may have moved to Lee County.

Lee County does not have a program such as “Project Safe Halloween,” but she does do one-on-one meetings with sex offenders on probation to make sure that they know the law.

“I remind them and let them know that they are not allowed to participate in any Halloween trick-or-treating,” she said. “We’ve never really had a problem.”

All those who are not on probation, however, still may hand out candy.

Wilhelmi said deputies have patrolled the county doing Halloween compliance checks in years past, as well as several other time throughout the year.

In Lee County, the sheriff’s department sends deputies out to patrol small communities, to keep an eye on sex offenders, Sheriff John Varga said.

Generally, the department has not had any problems, Varga said.

His advice to parents on Halloween: Use common sense.

“Know where your kids are going on Halloween night and only visit neighborhoods that you are familiar with.”

Teach your children to stay safe

The National Alert Registry offers tips for keeping your kids safe from sexual predators:

- Teach your kids that they should avoid strangers.

- Teach your kids what behaviors are inappropriate from adults and peers.

- Teach them it is OK to talk about anything that bothers them including sexual abuse.

- Teach your kids about dangerous houses, parks, or other areas in your neighborhood.

- Create a system so that kids never take a ride with someone claiming to be a friend or relative.

Illinois sex  offender registry

To learn about registered sex offenders in your community, go to www.isp.state.il.us/sor online. The Web site allows visitors to search for sex offenders by last name, city, county or ZIP code.

When to trick  or treat

This year’s Halloween trick-or-treating hours:

Amboy: 5-7 p.m.

Ashton: 4-6 p.m.

Dixon: 5-7:30 p.m.

Erie: 4:30-7 p.m.

Franklin Grove: 4:30-7 p.m.

Fulton: 5-7:30 p.m.

Lyndon: 5-7 p.m.

Milledgeville: 3-6 p.m.

Morrison: 4:30-7 p.m.

Mount Morris: 5-8 p.m.