Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – Safety will be a top priority for Mt. Juliet Police on Halloween, and additional officers are reporting for duty to patrol neighborhoods and interact with the community. Mt. Juliet’s neighborhoods will fill up with little witches, superheroes, goblins, and teenagers as they all focus on collecting many sweet treats. Parents should be prepared, and mindful of their child’s safety by following simple safety precautions. Officers on patrol will be proactively handing out reflective bracelets to trick-or-treaters to promote their visibility as pedestrians. The highest risk to a child during trick-or-treating is being struck by a vehicle.
Trick-or-treating will be observed in Mt. Juliet on Thursday, October 31, 2019. The Mt. Juliet Police Department recommends trick-or-treating to start at 5:00 p.m. and to stop by 9:00 p.m.
Officers Showing Off the Reflective Wristbands
Through the afternoon and night, patrol staff levels and presence in neighborhoods will be increased. However, police need the help of residents to ensure Mt. Juliet’s streets can be as safe as possible. Any unsafe mischief or driving behavior should be reported to the police department immediately so it can be stopped. Also, police will be monitoring parking on city streets. Visitors and residents should be mindful of where they park, so the roadway is not blocked.
Children are twice more likely to be in a fatal pedestrian accident on Halloween than any other day of the year, according to Safe Kids Worldwide. Parents should make sure their child’s costume is visible at night to motorists. There are several reasons why children are more likely to be hurt in pedestrian accidents, which include:
- They often choose to take the shortest route, which may mean darting out between parked cars then take the safer route of crossing at corners.
- They’re poor at evaluating potential traffic threats.
- They’re more likely to disregard their peripheral vision and are less attentive to their street surroundings.
- They tend to believe they’re indestructible and are more likely to take risks.
- They need to be told that some people driving cars will not slow down for them.
- They can’t cross streets as rapidly as adults.
- They may be distracted by other children’s costumes, behaviors, and home decorations.
Also, officers will be out monitoring sex offenders on Halloween. Under Tennessee law, any sex offender on parole or probation may not take part in any Halloween activity involving children. This activity would include leaving a porch light on, answering the door, or distributing candy. Parents may use the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s website at http://www.tbi.tn.gov/.
From everyone at Mt. Juliet Police, we wish you a safe Halloween. Mt. Juliet Police Headquarters, located at 1019 Charlie Daniels Parkway, will also be open for trick-or-treating on Halloween from 5:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m. The department can be contacted at (615) 754-2550 (non-emergency) or 911 (emergency) to report any problems, observations, or safety concerns.
Reflective bracelets are available, now and through Halloween, at police headquarters from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday.
A list of Halloween Health and Safety Tips can be viewed here: http://www.safekids.org/halloween.
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