Police: Residents Should be Cautious on Halloween

Decatur expects high volumes of vehicular and pedestrian traffic in residential neighborhoods on Friday for Halloween as kids go out trick-or-treating.

As a safety precaution, the Decatur Police Department will have additional officers and volunteers patrolling neighborhoods, parks, school properties, the Decatur Cemetery and business districts. Patrollers will be in patrol cars, unmarked cars, bicycles and on foot.

Safety tips from the City of Decatur include:

• Be bright at night. Make sure costumes have something reflective, carry a flashlight or clip on a flashing light like the ones runners and cyclists use to increase visibility.
• Make sure to cross streets properly. Look both ways before crossing and cross at corners or crosswalks. Walking out from in between parked cars is very dangerous because you may not be seen until it is too late.
• Know where older kids and teens are and check up on them.
• Talk to your kids about the difference between fun and vandalism. Throwing eggs may seem funny, but it causes damage to the property of others, which is a crime, and it is rude.

>>Patch file photo.

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