The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office preparing for a busy Friday night, but officials hope a safe one with the combination of trick-or-treating, Halloween parties and possible pranks.
Sheriff Eddie Farris said he will have a full team patrolling neighborhoods and busy streets. Farris said his main concern is maintaining street visibility and preventing accidents.
“We know it’s Halloween, but things that are suspicious or that just don’t look right or dangerous activities, they need to call us immediately,” Farris said. “So we can respond and take care of those manners and stop things and prevent accidents and keep people safe and we just don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
Farris said he advises people drinking and partying do not attempt to drive themselves home.
“Do not be drinking and driving, if you do we will certainly find you and have to, you know, deal with it, and usually bad things happen when we do that,” Farris said. “People go to jail. Once again, it goes all the way back to making sure we protect the people here and the citizens here in Putnam County.”
Farris said teenagers should be cautious of playing seasonal pranks on locals, as most have access to firearms. Farris said he encourages locals to own firearms for personal safety, so teens should stay cautious when causing mischief.
“You can assume that all of the homes here in Putnam County or most all the homes here have firearms,” Farris said. “So don’t be doing things around houses when people don’t know or they don’t know you’re coming that could lead once again to something tragic and an accident, so just be smart.”
Moving vehicles and people walking are the biggest concern. Many parents leave work early to go trick-or-treating with their children, which causes an uptick in traffic. Other vehicles can turn off their lights and travel at slow speeds through neighborhoods, which could present a threat to children crossing the street.
“The number one priority for us is keeping everybody safe,” Farris said. “And hopefully we don’t have any unforeseen accidents,”
Farris said parents and children should discuss a plan when crossing streets and moving from each house. Farris said parents should oversee their children during the night and speak with them about road safety prior to Halloween night.
