1) Parents should accompany their children at all times. Do not leave your children unattended or unsupervised, especially younger children.

2) Children should wear costumes that are visible in the dark. Light colored costumes are preferable but if the costume is dark, some kind of reflective material or tape should be used.

3) Carry some form of light, preferably a flashlight.

4) Check your children’s candy before they eat it. Watch out for candy that appears to have been tampered with and be aware of any home made or unpacked treats.

5) Watch for traffic. Do not allow your children run in and out of the street, keep them on the sidewalks.

6) If your driving, watch out for children running into traffic. Slow down especially in residential areas. Drive with extreme caution, because dark costumes may be very hard to see.

7) Respect those who wish not to participate. If the front porch light is off, chances are they are not giving out candy.

8) Have children stay within the neighborhood; only visit homes you know.

Parents should also remember that there are many other safe alternatives such as organized Halloween parties and Haunted Houses, many of which are sponsored by local schools, churches, businesses or other organizations. Find out about these activities and keep them in mind as a better and safer alternative.

It is also important to remember that parents planning to take their children trick or treating can go to the Texas Department of Public Safety Sex Offender Website. Here, the parents can use the website’s mapping feature to view the area they plan to take their children and be alerted as to where sex offenders may live. Parents can link on to this website from the El Paso Police Department website at www.eppd.org. Any parent having any questions on sex offenders can contact the El Paso Police Department’s Sex Offender Registration at 915-564-7283.

The following information was provided by MADD - El Paso and is relevant to this weekends activities for children and adults who choose to celebrate outside of the traditional realm of trick-or-treating.

The Halloween three-day period is a deadly timeframe for drunk driving. MADD wants you to help do your part to help keep the holiday festive by designating a sober driver. MADD has these tips to help ensure everyone’s safety this Halloween:

* Designate a sober driver before celebrations begin

* Never serve alcohol to those under the age of 21

* Plan safe partieswww.madd.org, including providing non-alcoholic drink options to guests and not serving alcohol the last hour of the party

* Be prepared to get everyone home safe in case your plans or individual circumstances change