Sheriff offers 'deputies on demand' for Halloween

KID LOOKS FORWARD TO HALLOWEEN. AND JUST ABOUT EVERY PARENT WORRIES ABOUT WHO MAY BE ANSWERING ...  More »

KID LOOKS FORWARD TO HALLOWEEN. AND JUST ABOUT EVERY PARENT WORRIES ABOUT WHO MAY BE ANSWERING THE DOOR WHEN THEIR KIDS GO TRICK OR TREATING. WE'VE LEARNED DEPUTIES ARE DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT THIS YEAR TO MAKE SURE CHILD MOLESTERS DON'T PULL ANY TRICKS. JOE VIGIL IS LIVE IN SOUTHWEST ALBUQUERQUE WITH DETAILS. NORMALLY THE BERNALILLO COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT PICKS WHICH NEIGHBORHOODS TO PATROL ON HALLOWEEN. BUT NOW NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE VISTA SANDIA ARE CALLING THE SHOTS...TO LET SEX OFFENDERS KNOW PEOPLE ARE WATCHING. VISTA SANDIA RESIDENTS --NEAR 86TH AND TOWER--- RECENTLY FOUND OUT ABOUT A NEW SEX OFFENDER WHERE THEY LIVE. AND WANTED TO DO SOMETHING MORE ON HALLOWEEN TO KEEP THEIR LITTLE ONES SAFE. 'We were unsure how we were going to approach the situation. We didn't want to get to a point where we're going to violate a person's rights.' WHAT THEY DID IS NEW AND MAY NOW GIVE THEM A BETTER SENSE OF SECURITY HALLOWEEN NIGHT. CALL IT DEPUTIES ON DEMAND IF YOU WILL. RESIDENTS SIMPLY CALLED UP THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AND ASKED FOR DEPUTIES TO PATROL THE COMMUNITY....WHICH WILL NOW HAPPEN. 'We go out there at whatever time they need us out there and do a direct patrol in their area.' OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE CALLED TOO. WE'VE LEARNED THAT A FORCE OF 30-35 DEPUTIES, RESERVES AND U-S MARSHAL'S WILL BREAK INTO TEAMS AND GO WHERE RESIDENTS REQUEST. DEPUTIES WILL DRIVE AROUND, THEY CAN KNOCK ON SEX OFFENDERS DOORS TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE BEHAVING THEMSELVES. 'Them knowing we're going to be out there we want to prevent something.' AND POLICE IN RIO RANCHO SAY THEY WILL KEEP AN EYE ON THE 40 REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS THERE. THEY TELL US HALLOWEEN NIGHT SEX OFFENDERS HAVE A CURFEW OF 6PM. THEY CAN'T BE AT A PARTY, CAN'T WEAR A COSTUME AND MUST TURN THEIR PORCH LIGHTS OFF SO TRICK OR TREATERS DON'T COME KNOCKING. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW IF THERE'S A SEX OFFENDER LIVING NEAR YOU -- THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT HAS A MAP ONLINE. WE'VE SET UP A LINK ON K-O-B-DOT- COM UNDER 4-LINKS. AS FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD PATROLS -- IT'S FIRST-COME FIRST- SERVE. YOU CAN CALL THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.  « Less