With Halloween on Monday, the Redmond Police Department (RPD) has offered few tips to ensure residents have a safe holiday.
Preparing the kids for trick-or-treating
Children should always be accompanied by an adult.
When planning costumes, think about tripping hazards and look for masks that don’t impede vision.
Drivers have a hard time seeing people, especially at dusk. Wear a reflective safety light and try to make costumes as reflective as possible.
Know your route so that you or a child doesn’t get lost. Do not take shortcuts through backyards, alleys, etc.
Remind children not to enter a stranger’s house or car.
Home and neighborhood safety
Welcome trick-or-treaters by turning on exterior lights.
Ask your neighborhood watch group to walk around your block and be on the lookout for shenanigans.
Drive slowly all evening. There will be many pedestrians out and you never know who will suddenly cross your path.
Enjoying treats
Remind children not to eat their treats until they get home.
Inspect all of your child’s treats once you get home. Only eat unopened candies that are in original wrappers. Anything unopened or unwrapped should be thrown away.
Social media creepy clown craze
There has been a national social media clown trend. Across the country and in some areas of Washington, people are dressing up as scary clowns. They are usually harmless and just trying to provoke a reaction. While there haven’t been any clown-related incidents or clown-crime reported in Redmond, it’s possible this could be an issue on Halloween night.
While merely dressing up as a clown is not a crime, it might not be a wise decision to dress up as a clown and try to scare people, especially during a heightened clown climate. Parents, please talk to your teenagers about this.
Don’t fuel this silly crazy. This includes spreading unfounded rumors about clown sightings or making threats of bodily harm to clowns. RPD will let the public know of serious threats to public safety.
If one does choose to dress up as a clown, although weird and unsettling for some, it is not a crime and should be expected on Halloween night.
If a clown (or anyone else in costume for that matter), is on private property without permission, harassing others or wielding a weapon, that is an issue and should be reported to 911.
Report suspicious behavior
As with any night, RPD encourages residents to look for suspicious behavior. Is someone peeking in windows? Are they trying multiple door handles in a parking lot? Are they creating a public disturbance or threatening someone? If so, call RPD. Though they can’t promise to be in costume, officers will respond when appropriate; they are not afraid of ghouls or clowns and will come to assist.
