Offender Watch - Halloween and Trick-or-Treat Safety Tips

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Friday, October 24, 2014
RE: Halloween and Trick-or-Treat Safety Tips
 
Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office: OffenderWatch® a sex offender mapping and notification service aids citizens in avoiding potentially dangerous homes

In Wicomico County, there are approximately 200 registered sex offenders and we want you to know where they reside so that you avoid those houses when trick-or-treating. “We do the best we can in making sure sex offenders live where they tell us, so it is crucial that our citizens visit our website http://www.wicomicosheriff.com, to see who the registered sex offenders are and there they are living,” says Sheriff Mike Lewis. Citizens are encouraged to check any addresses where they or their family spend time. Sheriff Lewis says, “The mapping and address feature found on the website, pin point exactly where an offender lives.”

You will also find many other beneficial tools such as the ability to sign-up for FREE automatic email notifications informing you if an offender moves within a specified radius of any address you register. “If you aren't planning on trick-or-treating in your neighborhood,but will be in a different neighborhood, register that address beforehand so you know which houses to avoid. You can register any and all addresses where your children spend time; for example: friends', grandparents', or babysitters' addresses,” says Sheriff Lewis. The alerts are in real-time and sent out via e-mail as soon as a new offender has registered with the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Lewis says, “The benefit of registering for this free confidential e-mail alert service is that it allows us to monitor important addresses for you, thereby keeping you up-to- date of newly registered offenders and making it unnecessary for you to have to check important addresses daily or even weekly.”

The website for the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office is http://www.wicomicosheriff.com. Citizens should hover over “Sex Offender Registry”, then click on “Wicomico County Sex Offender Registry”, then click on the link “Search for offenders in your area”, and follow the instructions to check your neighborhood offenders. They may click "register for email alerts” to sign-up to receive FREE e-mail alerts about nearby offenders.

Sheriff Lewis encourages everyone to have a fun and safe Halloween. Knowledge is power and knowing where the registered sex offenders reside in your area can help you make the best choices for safe and enjoyable Halloween activities.

For further information, please call the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office at 410-548-4891.