ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The streets will soon be filled with young witches and zombies and superheroes for the Halloween holiday, and the Liberal Police Department will be making sure everyone stays safe.
“Halloween is on a Friday this year, so that means we won't be dealing with everyone going back to school the next day, but that also means young trick-or-treaters will probably be out later that night,” LPD Capt. Jeff Wade said. “Along with that, we're also expecting an increase in parties in the community, so we're going to be in the neighborhoods and the different hot spots where everyone will be gathering, and I like reminding people to keep the music down. That way, not only are you being respectful of your neighbors, you'll also be able to hear children and everything else so everyone stays safe. We've been fortunate in the past few years in terms of not having had to deal with any major issues, and anything we have had to deal with was relatively minor. We'll have extra officers out and definitely be a presence throughout town and on the main streets, and we want to remind drivers to slow down and pay extra attention since more people – especially younger ones – will be milling about the neighborhoods. The traffic is a little heavier on Halloween night because we do see people come in from the smaller towns and do their trick-or-treating, and there are some restaurants in town that have specials that night for meals and all of that, but that's completely up to those places. I do expect we'll mostly see more foot traffic than anything else since everyone will be walking around and about town.”
For those who will be out trick-or-treating, Wade said safety is of paramount importance.
“If you're taking your little ones out trick-or-treating, make sure they slow down and look both ways, and we always recommend having flashlights on hand so you can see where you're going and so other drivers can see you as you're out and about,” Wade said. “And if your child's costume has a mask, make sure it's adjusted to where they can see what's around them. I know it's hard to slow children down – I've got a 6-year-old son of my own – but it's important for them to learn to be careful, especially for a holiday like Halloween, and again, we don't want anyone to get hurt on what's supposed to be a fun night. Talk to your children beforehand about what you expect from them as far as their behavior and set some ground rules. With costumes themselves, if you have some reflective tape or something like that that can be applied, that would work really well. The more visible you can be, the better.”
For those who will be hosting spooky get-togethers, Wade said it is important for them to think of others.
“If you're planning a party, keep things civilized and be respectful of your neighbors – don't have loud music blaring in the wee hours of the night, make sure people are parking in a manner that's not blocking your neighbors' driveways, and make sure things don't get absolutely trashed, because that's just not right,” Wade said. “And if you're planning on attending a party and imbibing in alcohol, make sure you have a designated driver situation set up because we don't want anyone to get hurt on what's supposed to be a fun holiday. Overall, people just need to do some simple planning ahead of time and be considerate of the people around them. If a situation starts getting too out of hand, call 911 and we'll get there and help sort everything out. However, please use that number only for emergencies, and if it's a non-emergency situation like loud music or something like that, call the non-emergency number at (620) 626-0150.”
Overall, Wade said, he hopes this Halloween will be spooktacular for everyone.
“One of my expectations is there will be more parties, and they'll probably last a little later than usual since Halloween's on a Friday this year. I also think the bars will be slightly busier that night, so my officers and I will definitely be keeping watch on traffic for violations and all of that,” Wade said. “We hope everyone will remain relatively safe and if they're planning on attending a party, plan ahead so everyone gets home safely. We'll be out and about throughout town making sure everyone stays safe. We as a police department hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween and if everyone will do just a bit of planning ahead, that's exactly what will happen.”
