Apps, websites track sex offenders in your neighborhood

LAPORTE COUNTY, Ind. -- The LaPorte County Sheriff's Department wants to make sure parents know how to keep their children safe on Halloween. The Department of Justice estimates 80-percent of all addresses have at least one sex offender living within a mile. Parents need to know how to keep their kids away from those locations.



Halloween is a time for fun.



But for many parents, the scary parts of the holiday are very real.



"This time of year is the one time of year it's acceptable to go to a complete stranger's home and knock on that door," said Major John Boyd of the LaPorte County Sheriff's Office.



Police say it is important you know who lives in the homes where your children are going to Trick or Treat.



"It's important to arm yourself with information about that stranger before kids are put in a situation where it could be harmful," said Boyd.



In LaPorte County there are over 200 registered sex offenders.



"You don't know what's going to happen," said Renee Klementzos.



Are registered sex offenders allowed to pass out candy on Halloween night?



"They're all allowed to pass out candy, unless they're prohibited by terms of their probation, but there's nothing in Indiana code that prohibits them from passing out candy," said Boyd.



That means it's up to parents to know which houses you want your children to avoid. 



You can visit your local sheriff's office website for a complete list of sex offenders who live near you.



"It's referred to as offender watch and you can locate specifically here in LaPorte County through LaPorteCountySheriff.com," said Boyd.



You can also search the registry here

There are also several apps you can use to locate registered sex offenders.



They include:

• The Sex Offender Registry


• Find Sex Offenders Free


• Sex Crime Archive


• Sex Offenders by Log Stat


• Offender Locator