Southern Indiana sheriff recommends families check sex offender registry ahead of Halloween

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A sheriff in southern Indiana is beefing up efforts to keep children safe while trick-or-treating this year.

Scott County Sheriff Jerry Goodin keeps an eye on sex offenders year-round, so anyone with sinister intentions won't be looking forward to Halloween.

Karen Alexander, and her neighbors in Scottsburg love Halloween — they put up inflatables, monster lights, and even fake blood to bring in the spooky season.

"We decorate very well here in our neighborhood," she said.

But there are some very real concerns for anyone sending an innocent loved one door-to-door trick-or-treating.

"Whose houses are you going to? What kind of people are they?" Alexander, who is a grandmother, said.

All concerns are valid, Goodin said, and that's why he wants to remind Hoosiers about a tool on every Indiana sheriff department's website.

Each local sheriff department has an interactive map like this one that lets you go street level to show where sex offenders live. It also has a picture of each sex offender.

"That way they can tell the children not to go in those areas," Goodin said.

According to the map, in Scottsburg, a registered sex offender lives on Lynhurst Street, another two streets away, and another a few blocks away.

"What we try to tell our sex offenders is this: your home should have the lights out, it shouldn’t be decorated, and shouldn’t have the appearance that would make child feel like it’s a place that they should visit," Goodin said.

During Halloween, the Scott County Sheriff's Office will be patrolling the streets with extra paid and reserve officers.

Goodin said he's focused on ensuring his department knows where registered sex offenders live at all times.

"What we have done in Scott County is, we check them quarterly, we check them every three months," he said.

His department is only required to check on them once a year.

Goodin also suggests to go to each door with your child. To view the National Sex Offender website, click here.