By Blake Haas
NORMAL – City officials say no tickets would be handed out to trick-or-treaters this year because of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, but there will be extra patrols.
That’s the word from Normal Police Public Information Officer Brad Park, who told WJBC’s Marc Strauss that city officials are still looking for a safe alternative to traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating.
“As far as enforcement goes, we just want people to be safe. We understand that there are going to be those who chose to trick-or-treat this year; we will have a lot of officers out that evening. But our main focus is for everyone to be safe. If you decide that you want to trick-or-treat, then please follow all the safety guidelines that we outlined on our department’s Facebook post.”
Across town, Bloomington City Manager Tim Gleason said the city is looking at safe alternatives such as a trunk-or-treat event. However, the city is still evaluating other options.
“We really want the families who do choose to go out and about is to make sure your kids understand that if you have a house with no lights on, please respect their wishes,” added Park. “Generally trick-or-treating time if lights are on, that means their willing to have people come to their door or may have a bowl candy waiting out there for the kids. So please respect the wishes of those who may not want to participate this year.”
LISTEN: Normal Public Information Police Officer Brad Park spoke with WJBC’s Marc Strauss about what the police department would be doing during Halloween.
Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].
