Police to Monitor Sex Offenders During Trick-or-Treating

Baltimore County police will watch sex offenders Halloween night, making sure they comply with the law and have no contact with children.

They'll check that some offenders don't answer the door, don't hand out candy, and that they post a 'No Candy' sign at their residence, as required by law.

This program is in force because the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention awarded a grant to the department’s Sexual Offender Registration Team, according to a news release.

Generally, sex offenders can't have any contact with children, other than their own.

If they violate their no-contact orders, they will go back to court and eventually back to jail, the release states.

The public can see sex offenders who may live around them by visiting the Sex Offender Compliance and Enforcement in Maryland website.

Or they can call Maryland's toll-free Sex Offender Alert Line at 866-559-8017, where they can sign up to get an alert by telephone any time a registered sex offender moves in their area.

"The Alert Line will contact individual homes, schools, daycare centers, recreational centers and churches registered by ZIP code when a sex offender moves into the neighborhood, or if there is a change in the offender's compliance status," the release states.