The Las Cruces police and fire departments remind parents and trick-or-treaters of all ages to take the necessary steps to make this Halloween a safe holiday for everyone involved
Possibly the most important safety precaution, especially for parents and caregivers of young children, is to make sure their trick-or-treaters are adequately chaperoned by a parent or responsible adult.
Residents who invite trick-or-treaters onto their property should ensure that sidewalks and walkways are adequately lit and safe for their guests.
Halloween safety tips include:
- Go trick’-or-treating with your child and, if possible, in a group.
- Make sure that costumes are visible to motorists and homeowners.
- Use a flashlight while trick’-or-treating after dark and attach a glow stick - which are available for free on Oct. 31 at Las Cruces fire stations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8.
- Assure that costumes fit appropriately and do not interfere with walking or vision.
- Keep costumes and decorations away from open flames such as candles in jack-o’-lanterns.
- Consider using flameless, battery-operated candles or glow sticks in jack-o’-lanterns.
- Trick-or-treaters should stay on sidewalks and proper walkways.
- When crossing streets, do so only in designated crosswalks and only after checking both directions for traffic.
- Properly contain pets, especially large dogs. They may not bite but could easily scare or knock down a small child.
- Motorists should be on the lookout for more pedestrians, especially small children and primarily on residential streets.
- Thoroughly inspect all candy and moderate the amount your child may consume.
- Call police immediately to report any inappropriate behavior, potentially dangerous situations or suspicious activity.
Trick-or-treaters also should be aware that not all homeowners celebrate Halloween, or enjoy ghosts and goblins knocking on their doors. The basic rules of thumb are to refrain from trick’-or-treating at homes with no Halloween displays or without adequate lighting, and keep your activities limited to respectable hours.