With no glaring issues that could lead to trouble on Halloween, the Mitchell Police Division expects all of the city's ghouls and goblins to have a fun-filled and safe night.
Sometimes, Mitchell Patrol Sgt. Terry Reyelts said, police will issue bulletins prior to the holiday warning parents of potential unique safety hazards that could arise, such as an increase in crime in specific areas. But this year has proven to be relatively quiet leading up to Halloween.
"Hopefully it's relatively safe," Reyelts said. "This year, we're really just looking at following common sense safety rules that have applied for years."
But there are still precautions parents and trick-or-treaters should take.
The most important, Reyelts said, is to ensure children don't dart into streets, as vehicle traffic will increase along with foot traffic. Specifically, 15th Avenue is typically busy and could pose as a safety concern if parents and children aren't conscious of their surroundings. Reyelts urged Mitchell drivers to find an alternate route to avoid driving on 15th Avenue tonight, if possible.
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If a child's costume is not equipped with reflective lights, Reyelts encouraged parents to arm their children with glow sticks and flashlights so they are visible to drivers.
Additionally, Reyelts said parents should check their children's candy to ensure it was packaged correctly and nothing seems out of the ordinary.
"I don't necessarily think we have anyone who would do anything to the candy, but it's obviously good practice," Reyelts said, adding that trick-or-treating as a group is safer than going alone. "As far as Mitchell goes, most areas are pretty safe, but if you ever feel you're in an area you shouldn't be in, just get out of there."
