Haleyville PD urges parents to practice safety this Halloween

HALEYVILLE - The night of spooks, spirits and shadowy shapes commences tomorrow night, Thursday, Oct. 31, as droves of little goblins will be out roaming the streets in search of...candy.
These little goblins, also known as trick-or-treaters, will be out and about seeking candy, especially at two of the city’s busiest areas Halloween night--15th Avenue and 11th Avenue also known as Kelly Hill, city officials confirmed.
However, as these little (and some big) creatures go door-to-door and fill various neighborhoods with both motorized and foot traffic, the city’s police department is sending out a warning to keep these little ones safe during such a hectic time.
“Both of those locations, 15th Avenue and Kelly Hill, will be extremely congested Halloween night,” stressed Police Chief Rodney Lewis.
“I will probably have a couple of extra guys out for a little while  during the traffic,” said Lewis.
“If people can park as far to the right side of the road as possible, that way, traffic can still get through, and not walk down the middle of the street, but walk on the side of the street or in the yards, it would help out with traffic,” the chief added.
“Any small child needs to be accompanied by an adult, not by a brother or a sister that’s just a little bit older than them,” Lewis further instructed.
Those out trick-or-treating should have or wear some type of reflective device that can be seen at night, the police chief further stated.
In fact, many Halloween costumes are dark and cannot be seen well at night, police indicated
“It would help out with the safety of children,” Lewis stated. “Before dark or after dark really doesn’t matter to me. You just need to take the precautions to be safe while (trick-or-treating).”
Haleyville Mayor Ken Sunseri stressed that safety was the top priority on Halloween night.
“We’re concerned with safety and people being able to visually see and not having the chance of the child going out between two cars and being hit by a vehicle,” Sunseri pointed out.
“We want to try to avoid children being out on city streets at night,” Sunseri said.