Probation Officers to Monitor Sex Offenders to Protect Trick-or-Treaters on Halloween

Mineola, N.Y.-Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi announced today that for the second year in a row, the Nassau County Probation Department will be monitoring and randomly checking on convicted sex offenders during Halloween to ensure the safety of children trick-or-treating throughout the County.

In announcing the initiative, known as "Operation Safe Sweets," the County Executive stated, "We will not allow convicted sex offenders to jeopardize the children of Nassau County at any time. By ensuring that these offenders comply with their probation conditions on Halloween and not have unsupervised contact with children, we will ensure that children throughout the County will enjoy a safe and happy Halloween."

The County Executive noted that Halloween presents a unique set of risks for the effective containment of sex offenders in the community. There are currently 278 registered sex offenders currently on probation in Nassau County and nearly half of these individuals committed offenses involving children under the age of 16. All 278 represent a significantly greater risk to children than the general population and that risk is exacerbated on Halloween, when children may unknowingly come into contact with these offenders.

To ensure the safety of children on Halloween, the Nassau County Probation Department Sex Offense Unit began "Operation Safe Sweets" on October 10, 2005. First, the Probation Department sent a written notice to all 278 convicted sex offenders reiterating the court-mandated limitations on these offenders' contact with children. Second, teams of probation officers will be deployed throughout the County on Halloween and will make random unannounced visits to offenders' homes to verify compliance. Probationers who violate the court-ordered conditions are subject to substantial terms of imprisonment.

The Department of Probation reported that after last year's Operation Safe Sweets, a handful of the 60 probationers with offenses against minors had decorated their homes for Halloween, one was working in an unauthorized capacity at a costume store and one had traveled without permission.