Trick-or-Treat Safety Tips

Belmont County Sheriff’s Office: OffenderWatch® a sex offender mapping and alerting service aids citizens in avoiding dangerous homes.

In Belmont County, there are approximately 136 registered sex offenders, and we want you to know where they reside so that you avoid those houses when trick-or-treating. “We do the best we can in making sure sex offenders live where they tell us, so it is crucial that our citizens visit our website: www.belmontsheriff.com, to see who the registered sex offenders are an where they are living.” says Belmont County Sheriff David Lucas. Citizens are encouraged to check any addresses where they or family spend time. Sheriff Lucas says “The mapping and address feature found on the website pinpoints exactly where an offender lives.”

You will also find may other beneficial tools such as the ability to sign up for FREE automatic email notifications informing you if an offender moves within a specified radius of any address you register. “If you aren’t planning on trick-or-treating in your neighborhood, but will be in a family or friend’s neighborhood, register their address beforehand so you know which houses to avoid. You can register any and all of the addresses where your children spend a lot of time: for example friend’s grandparent’s or babysitter’s addresses” says Sheriff Lucas. The alerts are in real-time and sent out via e-mail as soon as a new offender has registered with the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Lucas says “The benefit of registering for this free confidential e-mail alert service is that it allows us to monitor your important addresses for you, thereby keeping you up to date of newly registered offenders and making it unnecessary for you to have to check your important addresses daily or even weekly.”

The website for the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office is www.belmontsheriff.com. Citizens should click on the link “Sex Offender Registry Search” on the right hand side under “Links” and follow the instructions to check their neighborhood and sign up to receive FREE e-mails alerts.

Sheriff Lucas encourages everyone to have a fun and safe Halloween. Knowledge is power and knowing where the registered sex offenders reside in your area can help you make the best choices for safe and enjoyable Halloween activities.

For further information, please call the Sergeant Glenn Moore with the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office at 740-695-7933 ext. 134.