LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - It's one of the best nights of the year for children, getting mounds of candy by just knocking on a few doors. But, it could also be dangerous if you don't know where you're knocking.
"Don't let them go alone. If they are old enough to go alone, have them go with groups. Also go to houses that well lit, people that are expecting trick or treaters will have their lights on," says Lt. Cody Burke with the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department. "Always instruct your children never to enter a house of anybody they don't know."
Now, with the help of smart phones, keeping your children safe on Halloween is easier than ever. They say there is an app for everything and it when it comes to finding sex offenders in your neighborhood, there are several, so we chose one to show you how they work.
It's called the Offender Locator and based on your current location, it shows where sex offenders may live right around you.
The app showed us ten possible sex offenders that could live in the neighborhood at Wright and Summit in Little Rock. It even showed us the exact address of the offender, his picture and his offense.
But just a few miles away up on Beechwood street, the app showed little to no threat to children, with the nearest offender living at least five miles away.
Smart phones aren't the only way to find sex offenders. A simple web search on the ACIC website can show you the same thing if you'd like to do your research before hand.
"You can go online and check and see what sex offenders are in your zip code area. Just do a web search on that," says Lt. Burke.
So before you take the kids trick or treating, be sure you know exactly whose door you may be knocking on.
More Halloween safety tips