Law enforcement check sex offenders before Halloween
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JACKSON, Tenn. — In an effort to keep kids safe this Halloween, law enforcement check up on sex offenders across the area. It is called Operation Blackout. Zain Hakim, a parent, said he plans to go door to door with his kids. “The houses, we make sure they’re lit and they look like they want people to come and trick-or-treat,” he said. Sex offenders must follow strict guidelines for Halloween, including no decorations. The Tennessee Department of Correction makes sure they comply. “Everybody’s going to be checked,” TDOC Probation and Parole Manager Kris Nilsson said. “The majority of the folks will be checked on Halloween night.” Nilsson works out of the TDOC‘s Jackson office. He said they oversee about 150 sex offenders in seven counties. The department said as of Friday morning they have completed 75 compliance checks in the district, finding five violations but none serious enough to warrant an arrest. “Sex offenders that we deal with, they are highly supervised, so we really don’t have a lot of problems,” Nilsson said. TDOC said on Halloween sex offenders cannot have their porch lights on, open the door for trick-or-treaters, wear costumes or dress in disguise. “Don’t go to houses that do not have lights on,” Nilsson said. Hakim said he is not worried. He said they stick to well-lit houses and check the kids‘ candy. “We only take stuff that is obviously still packaged tightly,” he said. TDOC officials say sex offenders must remain in their homes between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. The TDOC said as of Friday morning they have completed 2,126 compliance checks statewide, found 169 violations and made 14 arrests. The department said Operation Blackout runs through Nov. 2.
