Published: October 29, 2009 09:16 pm         

Operation Safe Halloween to give parents peace of mind

TERRE HAUTE — A program to monitor sex offenders during trick-or-treat hours should give parents more peace of mind about the safety of their children during Halloween events.

The purpose of Operation Safe Halloween is twofold, said Rick Loudermilk, supervisor of the 14-county Terre Haute Parole District.

“It protects the public and lets them know these people are not out on the street, and it gives the offenders accountability during that time,” Loudermilk said.

This is the second year for the Indiana Department of Correction’s Operation Safe Halloween in the Terre Haute Parole District, which includes the counties of Vigo, Clay, Sullivan, Greene, Owen, Putnam, Parke, Vermillion, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Warren, Carroll and Tippecanoe.

Loudermilk said that paroled sex offenders in the southern half of the district must attend a mandatory meeting tonight at the Vigo County Community Corrections building from 6 to 9 p.m.

At that meeting, information on registration rules will be reviewed, offenders will have their photos and information updated, and they will receive information from a local sex offender treatment provider.

Those people also will be instructed to stay at home on Saturday evening, during trick-or-treat hours of 6 to 9 p.m. Spot checks will be conducted to make sure those people are indeed staying home.

Sex offenders in the northern half of the parole district must attend a meeting Saturday night at the Tippecanoe County Probation Department in Lafayette.

While more than 700 convicted offenders are monitored through the parole district, Loudermilk said, only about 30 of them are sex offenders in the southern part of the Terre Haute district. Another 30 sex offenders will attend the meeting at Lafayette on Saturday.

He also noted that there are other convicted sex offenders living in communities who are not monitored by the parole department. All convicted sex offenders must register in their county of residence, and are listed on the Indiana Sheriff’s Sex and Violent Offender Registry. That registry is available online at www.insor.org.

Loudermilk recommends that parents go online to check out the registry database and look at the areas where their children will be going on Halloween. The registry pinpoints residences and work locations, and includes the name and photos of registered sex offenders.



Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com.