Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office performs annual Halloween offender check-in

BUCHANAN COUNTY, Mo. (KQTV) -- Area law enforcement are giving up their Halloween Saturday evening to make sure that children are safe while enjoying the holiday with their annual registered sex offender check-ins.

Throughout the evening, the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office, St. Joseph Police Department, and members of the U.S. Marshals Office are checking in on offenders without a work permit or who are not homeless to ensure they comply with Halloween restrictions.

These restrictions include no Halloween decorations, no exterior lights in front of their residence, and staying indoors during a specific time frame. Some offenders can be away from their homes with a work permit.

Unhoused sex offenders are required to stay in the lobby of the law enforcement center from early evening to 10:30 pm.

Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett credited his office's Cindy Ownby and Kenny Shryock for organizing Saturday's operation.

"We are making sure the community stays safe by doing our annual sex vendor Halloween compliance checks," Puett said. "We want everybody to have a good, safe holiday. We want our kids to be safe and nobody to be in fear that they can't go out into the street."

Throughout the night, law enforcement checks in on more than 300 registered offenders throughout the area. They are doing so with help from more than 40 law enforcement personnel.