Sex offenders spend Halloween at IMPD

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Sex offenders in Marion County will once again be required to leave their homes on Halloween night this year in a move intended to help keep kids safe while they're trick-or-treating. But, not all of the county’s registered offenders will be required to attend.

The program, dubbed "Operation Halloween," will require around 300 registered sex offenders to stay at a specific location from 5:45-9:00 p.m. on Halloween night, to ensure they can’t hand out candy to kids.

For many parents, the program has meant a big sigh of relief since its inception nine years ago.

“I think it’s a fantastic idea,” said Debbie Riggins, with her son by her side. “It makes parents feel safer to have their children go out.”

“It does,” agreed Kalyn Grundy. “It definitely does make me feel [better].”

And organizers say they have a strong track record in attendance.

“It's about 98 percent that show up,” said Marion County Community Corrections Electronic Monitoring Team Leader and Sex Offense Case Manager Andrea Mosier. “Last year we had one gentleman not show up, and he ended up being in the hospital.”

Those who do show up are met by officers from the Indiana Department of Corrections and Marion County Sheriff’s Department, who check to make sure each offender’s registry is current and each offender has a valid ID. Last year, those checks resulted in 16 arrests, Mosier said.

Those that don't show up get a knock on the door from a police officer.

“They all come to the one central location, which is the police academy. They're all searched. They're not allowed to have any weapons or anything illegal on them. They all have to have ID's--current Indiana ID's--that have their current address on it. We know where they are. They're all in one central location. They're not allowed to leave for any reason. And, we let the children have a safe Halloween and keep them off the streets,” Mosier said.

But, the program isn’t required for all registered offenders.

“If they're registered only and are not on current supervision, they don't have to attend the meeting. It's only as a condition of their supervision,” Mosier explained.

Numbers of those who are required to attend have risen in recent years, from 235 three years ago, to 270 last year, and an anticipated 300 this year, Mosier said. But, search the county's sex offender registry and you'll find 372 offenders within two square miles of downtown Indianapolis alone. Hundreds more will also be at home across the county on Halloween night.

The reality, Mosier says, is that corrections officers can only force attendance at the meeting on those with "non-contact orders" with children.

“We can get those guys we're monitoring and we have control over, but there are so many who have completed their conditions and served their time, and we don't have control over them,” she said. “As long as you're registered to the address you're residing at, really, they're not monitored.”

For those like Riggins, the numbers came as a surprise.

“I didn't know that,” she said. “And, it does make me feel a little uncomfortable.”

Mosier says it’s another reason for parents to do their homework before trick-or-treating begins.

“Check the registry,” she said. “Do the checking, do the research and know beforehand.”

“We do check the registry periodically to know who’s around us, but most definitely we’ll be [checking again now],” Riggins said.