Sheriff’s Office Places ‘No Trick-Or-Treat’ Signs on Sex Offender Homes

A county sheriff’s office in Georgia is placing signs on the doors of sex offenders’ homes telling prospective trick-or-treaters to stay away.

The Butts County Sheriff’s Office posted a message on Facebook Saturday notifying residents that it would be placing signs with the phrase “WARNING! NO TRICK-OR-TREAT AT THIS ADDRESS!!” on the front doors of every residence belonging to a registered sex offender.

“Georgia law forbids registered sex offenders from participating in Halloween, to include decorations on their property,” Sheriff Gary Long said in the Facebook post. “With the Halloween on the square not taking place this year, I fully expect the neighborhoods to be very active with children trick-or-treating.”

The department said the goal of the campaign is to ensure families can be well informed if there is a sex offender in the neighborhood where children are trick-or-treating.

“There are some sex offenders that are not happy,” Long told WCNC. “But I’m not in the business of making them happy. I’m in the business of keeping safe communities and making sure that our children are protected.”

Police departments across the country are going the extra mile to ensure children are safe on Halloween. Several police departments over the past few weeks used social media to urge parents to call 911 if they notice their children bringing home suspicious looking candies in their trick-or-treat bags.