There are about 188 registered sex offenders, and St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said he wants 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 slpsheriff.com to see who the registered sex offenders are and where they are living,” Guidroz said in a news release.
Citizens are encouraged to check any addresses where they or their family spend time.
“The mapping and address feature found on the website pinpoints exactly where an offender lives,” he said.
You will also find many 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, grandparents, or babysitter’s addresses” Guidroz said.
The alerts are in real-time and sent out via e-mail as soon as a new offender has registered with the sheriff’s office.
“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,” he said.
The website for the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office is slpsheriff.com then click on the “Search For Sex Offenders” under the “How do I” tab. Citizens should click on the link “locate registered sex offenders” and follow the instructions to check their neighborhood and sign up to receive free e-mail alerts.
Guidroz 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, call the St. Landry Parish Sex Offender Unit at 337-948-6516. The sheriff’s office will have additional units to look for sex offenders not complying with the laws and to quickly respond to complaints of non compliance.
Guidroz added, “Our Sex Offender Unit will patrol throughout the parish, especially in the most congested areas looking for sex offenders. Louisiana law specifically prohibits sex offenders from wearing masks or hoods during Halloween, Mardi Gras, Easter and Christmas. The law also mandates that sex offenders are not to dispense candy or gifts on Halloween or the other mentioned holidays. Sex offenders are not allowed to dispense candy from their homes or anyone else’s home. If someone dispenses candy at their residence, the sex offender must remain in the background and out of sight. Sex offenders are also not allowed to walk with their own children in neighborhoods participating in Trick or Treat.”
For further information, call the St. Landry Parish Sex Offender Unit at 337-948-6516.
