A full weekend of witchcraft-filled parties, followed by a Monday night of trick-or-treating-induced sugar frenzies — not to mention tricks of another sort from older kids — will have parents and police on their toes for the next four days. Police and neighborhood associations throughout the Washington area are stepping up enforcement efforts this weekend in anticipation of three straight days of Halloween parties and a weeknight of trick-or-treating.
Popular hangouts such as Georgetown must worry about a weekend’s worth of parties and drunk college students disrupting the neighborhood, as well as trick-or-treaters Monday night. Advisory Neighborhood Commission officials in Georgetown have hired off-duty Metropolitan Police Department officers to help patrol the streets.
| Safety tips |
| Keep a porch light or other exterior light on for trick-or-treaters. |
| Keep your yard clear of items that children could trip over. |
| Motorists should drive slowly in residential neighborhoods and watch out for trick-or-treaters. |
| Children should wear bright costumes, or have reflective clothing to help be spotted by cars at night. |
| Trick-or-treaters should use crosswalks, and not dart across the street in between cars. |
| Wear a flame-retardant costume. |
| Source: Montgomery County Police Department |
“It’s a festive time,” said ANC3E Commissioner Ed Solomon. “As far as things getting out of hand, I think most things can be dealt with in a common-sense way. You have to be concerned, and not take it to an extreme.”
Some streets will be closed in D.C., such as several blocks of neighborhood roads in historic Georgetown that will shut down Monday night. The road closures, along with parking restrictions on M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, will provide a safer walking environment for trick-or-treaters, Solomon said.
Officials are urging parents to take precautions during Monday evening’s rush hour, when children plan to go trick-or-treating Halloween night just as the region’s motorists head home from work.
Halloween is one of the top three days of the year for pedestrian injuries and fatalities, according to a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A new study by Safe Kids USA found that between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Halloween, more than twice as many children are killed in pedestrian incidents than the same time period the other 364 days of the year.
“As children roam neighborhood streets to trick-or-treat, the risk of unintentional injuries rises,” said AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman John Townsend. “That’s why it’s important for motorists to stay alert and drive carefully.”
In Maryland, state police will complement an increased force of local cops monitoring the roads on Halloween night. For the rest of the weekend, the Prince George’s Police Department will bring non-uniformed officers in off the street and send them out in uniform to help beef up patrols.
There’s some evidence that the usual festivities may be toned down this year thanks to the poor economy. More than half of American families with children say they will spend less than half of what they normally would on Halloween, according to a LivingSocial Families survey.
That means less expensive costumes, fewer decorations around the house, and less candy handed out.
“In the tough economic times, it’s hard for families to justify the high cost of costumes and decorations,” said LivingSocial Families spokeswoman Amy Wolf.
