Scores of Charles County Sheriff’s officers will patrol the community this Halloween as part of Sheriff Rex Coffey’s countywide initiative to keep safe all the little ghosts and goblins who will be on the streets searching for candy.

Fifty additional officers will join the patrol shift to provide an increased presence in neighborhoods and shopping centers and the lights on their cruisers will be activated to further heighten visibility. To ensure the plan is cost-effective, Sheriff Coffey is temporarily re-directing the additional officers from other areas of the Agency.

“It is our job to protect the trick-or-treaters taking part in Halloween festivities,” said Sheriff Coffey.

“Heightened visibility has always been the core my crime-fighting strategy and it remains key in this initiative. I want kids and parents to know we are protecting them and I want criminals and reckless drivers to know we are strictly enforcing the law. The most effective way to do that is by increasing patrols.”

The increase in patrol this Halloween is a prelude to Sheriff Coffey’s year-end safety initiative. Patrols will be similarly increased during the holiday season to reduce crime and help citizens feel safer by increasing police presence and visibility.

As part of the Halloween effort, the Sheriff’s Office is offering free x-ray screenings of Halloween candy at the Charles County Courthouse located at 200 Charles Street in La Plata. Court security officers will scan candy at the Courthouse on Halloween from 6-8 p.m. and Nov. 1 from 10 a.m. to noon. Parents are encouraged to take advantage of this free service but are reminded that the x-ray machine can only detect whether any metal objects were inserted into the candy and cannot detect other substances. Parents are still encouraged to check each piece of their children’s candy for signs of tampering.

The Sheriff’s Office is also encouraging parents to talk with their children about the dangers they could encounter on Halloween and to remind their children to call 9-1-1 in an emergency or, if they do not have access to a phone, to yell for help. Parents and children should also have a planned route and a designated meeting location should they get separated.

Parents should also know some occurrences that raise questions about the quality of confectionary products are in fact normal, according to the National Confectioners Association. For example, what appears to be glass may just be large sugar or salt crystals. Graying chocolate that resembles a light powder may be caused by exposure to heat or dampness. The association publishes a complete list of these occurrences on its Web site, www.candyusa.org. Such appearances should not be cause for concern but parents are urged to use their discretion. Suspicious candy should be reported to the Sheriff’s Office.

Finally, the Sheriff’s Office urges citizens to report suspicious activity, suspicious candy or any other unsafe situations by contacting the District Stations at 301-932-2222 in La Plata, 301-743-2222 in Indian Head or 301-932-7777 in Waldorf. In an emergency, dial 911.

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The Sheriff’s Office is offering additional Halloween safety tips and encourages parents to share them with their children. Click on the image above the article to view.  These tips are also available on the Sheriff’s Office’s Web site, www.ccso.us.