Police offer Halloween safety tips

Ghosts, goblins and witches are expected to be out and about in neighborhoods across Utah this weekend. But the scariest things trick-or-treaters may see are inattentive or intoxicated drivers.

Halloween has become one of the biggest drinking holidays of the year. And this year, most Utahns will be celebrating Halloween on Saturday.

Several police departments are offering annual safety reminders for parents and their kids this Halloween.

Draper and Salt Lake City police said children should always trick-or-treat with an adult. And children should never go inside a stranger's house to get candy.

Murray police detective Rob Hall said children and parents need to remember to walk on the sidewalks and cross the street at corners or crosswalks.

Saturday is traditionally a busy traffic night anyway, Hall said. Drivers need to be aware that there will be more children out walking that night.

Likewise, parents and children need to be aware there could be more intoxicated drivers Saturday night, he said.

"We recommend parents always go with kids and stay in a familiar area," he said.

Other safety tips include making sure costumes are flame-retardant and not eating any candy until you get it home and first inspect it.

Police also recommend wearing some sort of reflective clothing and carrying a flashlight or glow stick and a cell phone.

Older juveniles going trick-or-treating without their parents should map out their route beforehand and let their parents know where they are going, said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Rosie Rivera.

"Halloween may be a fun holiday for kids but for parents trick-or-treating time can be a little tricky," she said. "Just play it safe."

Salt Lake police are also urging parents to use caution when children go trick-or-treating this Halloween weekend because a man who allegedly abducted and raped a 7-year-old child in September is still at large.

"It is imperative to keep watch out for any type of suspect that would harm innocent children," police said in a Friday press release.

The man, who is described as being thin, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, with short hair and a scarred face was last seen driving a gray "muscle-type" car with black and blue spots or stripes near the bottom of the door and blue seats. He is believed to be between the ages of 30 and 50 and speaks Spanish.

On Sept. 24, the man allegedly abducted a 7-year-old as she walked home from school near the intersection of 800 West and North Temple about 3:30 p.m. A cash reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in that crime. Call the "Tips for Cash" hotline at 799-INFO (4636) or Salt Lake City police dispatch at 799-3000.

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