Parents check site for neighborhood sex offenders before trick-or-treating

ORLANDO, Fla. — Apopka police said they're ready to watch neighborhoods to make sure children are safe.

But parents can also take matters into their own hands by searching online to find out where in their neighborhood registered sex offenders live.

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Lily Burgos has three nieces and nephews under 10 years old, and every year as family, they walk the streets searching for candy on Halloween.

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"We usually just go around the city of Apopka, house to house," Burgos said. "Once it gets dark, we head home, but we make sure they have flashlights and the highlights that they can put on."

Apopka police said on Halloween they will have unmarked units monitoring certain registered sex offenders, whose release stipulations banned them from handing out candy.

Parents can go onto the National Sex Offenders Public Website, or one for their own state, and complete a neighborhood search.

The site provides a picture of the offender, their status and their address.

Burgos said she does this search before they go trick-or-treating every year.

"If we know there's a sex offender in the area, we don't stop there. We just keep going to the next house," Burgos said.

Cox Media Group