SNAP Encourages Halloween Safety

Here is a letter from your Neighborhood Association Presidents on what you can do to make this a safe Halloween: Dear Fellow Scarsdalians: Halloween is a holiday enjoyed by many in our community. It is important that we work together to ensure that our children have a safe, secure and enjoyable experience.

October 31 is a Sunday this year, so extra vigilance is important. SNAP encourages everyone to cooperate with members of the Scarsdale Police and Fire Departments in making the event safe and enjoyable. They are depending on our community partnership to multiply their resources to ensure everyone's safety for Halloween.

Prior to the holiday, Scarsdale patrol officers and detectives visit the schools to discuss Halloween safety and acceptable boundaries of behavior. The police department, in partnership with the Police Benevolent Association (PBA), sponsors a Halloween food drive to encourage the youth of the community to donate canned goods. In addition, local merchants have been requested not to sell spray paint, shaving cream, eggs and other items used for mischief in the weeks leading up to Halloween.

In keeping with the theme of “Give the Day Back to the Kids”, SNAP joins the Police Department in encouraging parents to get more involved in the actions of their children, accompanying them while trick or treating and completing all door to door solicitations by specific voluntary curfew times as follows: children under 11 years of age should be finished trick or treating by 7:00 p.m.; children 11 years of age or older should complete their trick or treating by 8:00 p.m. Those children 13 years of age or older should be monitored throughout the evening and all trick or treating will be monitored by police, parents and volunteers. All trick or treating should be completed by 9:00 p.m.

Safety volunteers will be utilized on Halloween evening as additional eyes and ears for the Police Department and particularly to monitor activity and voluntary curfews. Scarsdale volunteer firefighters are strategically placed throughout the community and will report potential problems to the police. Uniformed and plain clothes officers, bicycle officers and detectives (one being the Youth Officer) will mingle with crowds, identifying potential “hot spots” and direct uniformed patrol to the areas of concern. Eggs, shaving cream and other material are to be confiscated and perpetrators removed. Youth who engage in activities that do not rise to the criminal level are to be brought to the Police Incident Command Vehicle, where officers will contact their parents who will be asked to pick up their children. Youths committing criminal offenses shall be treated according to the New York State Family Court Act/Penal Law and held at Police Headquarters.

It is important for the entire Village to work together to foster an enjoyable and safe Halloween. Remember that the actions of the participants reflect upon our entire community. By working together with the Village authorities and volunteers, SNAP hopes that Scarsdale will eliminate problems that occurred in past years.

SNAP encourages you to visit these helpful websites for additional Halloween safety tips and ideas:

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/kids/treats.html

http://www.candyusa.com/Healthy/content.cfm?ItemNumber=1408

Sincerely,
Linda Ettinger Lieberman, Chairman
Confederation of Scarsdale Neighborhood Association Presidents (SNAP)