Posted at: 10/31/2009 11:26 PM | WHEC.com
Updated at: 11/01/2009 8:53 AM
By: Linzi Sheldon

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Operation Halloween keeps kids safe

It's a night for scary costumes and sweet treats. As kids go door to door, parole officers are doing their part to keep them safe
    
They're checking on sex offenders as part of Operation Halloween, a statewide effort to keep kids safe from sex offenders on parole.
    
"I wouldn't ever want my children to be...in a situation where they're approaching a previous sex offender's house," parent Colleen Magliocco said.
    
It was a busy Halloween on Somershire Drive in Irondequoit Saturday night, with princesses, pirates, and everything in between trick or treating.
    
Parents say it's one of the safest neighborhoods around.
    
"There's lots of street lights and a lot of the houses are lit up, lots of Halloween lights," Magliocco said. "There's lots of people... that also makes you feel safe."
    
While parents like Magliocco kept a close eye on their kids, parole officers were out doing their part.
    
News 10 NBC hit the road with them Saturday afternoon to check up on sex offenders.     
    
"We knock on the door and again they're supposed to ask who it is, in case we're trick or treaters," senior parole officer Daniel Scalzo said. "In most cases the parolees did and we identified ourselves."
    
Officers stopped by their homes to make it clear: they're not allowed to hand out candy, decorate, or even leave their homes until Sunday morning.
    
"It's a time when kids want to go out and have fun," New York State Parole Bureau Chief Chuck Bour said. "We want to make sure that offenders that we supervise are home and they're not a threat."
    
It's a frightening thought-- one that some parents say never even crossed their minds.
    
"Oh, that's great," parent Mark Bacchetta said of Operation Halloween. “It’s always a concern when you have a sex offender in your area. I think police do a real good job at letting you know where they are and who they are, but they don't seem to have a problem here."
    
Saturday night, the only fears and frights came from the ghouls and goblins on these lawns.
    
Parents say that having Operation Halloween in effect helps put their minds at ease.
    
"I'm glad to know that they're on top of that and taking care of it," Magliocco said.
    
Parole officers say that when it comes to trick or treating, parents should make sure their kids stick to neighborhoods and houses that they know and not go out of that area.    
   
Parents can also check the website of the National Sex Offender Registry, which allows them to enter zip codes and find out if any sex offenders live nearby.