Re: Any data to support special Halloween enforcement?


"Michael "Dog3" Lonergan" <dog3@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:Xns970045AE7D5BEesadfloons@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Lars Eighner <eighner@xxxxxx> looking for trouble wrote in
> news:slrndmbkqb.1c94.eighner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:
>
> > As I hope we all know by now, the poisoned/adulterated Halloween
> > treat thing - with the X-raying of treats, etc. was pretty much
> > a scam, with no real evidence that there ever was any "stranger
> > danger" involved.
> >
> > Now I notice that there seems to be a big "sex offender"
> > enforcement thing for Halloween, evidently fairly widespread
> > all over the country. Is there really any factual basis for
> > this? Just guessing, I'd think costumes catching fire, or
> > little kids running into traffic - perhaps exacerbated by
> > wearing masks that obstruct vision - would be the main hazards
> > of Halloween. Is there any data to support the idea that there
> > is some big spike in sexual offenses against children on
> > Halloween. If memory serves, Dean Corll did pick up some kids
> > at a Halloween party, but he picked up a whole lot more at other
> > times of the year.
> >
> > So is it hysteria? Would more traffic enforcement that night
> > really save more lives?
> >
>
> I suspect you're right Lars. While I think there are sickos out there
that
> will get a charge out of hurting children, I believe the incidents, that I
> have heard of, are few and far between.
>
> Personally I would think resources would better utilized monitoring the
> adult parties on Halloween. Speaking from experience of course. Halloween
> has been 'weened' from the kids and has rapidly turning into another party
> spree for adults. I know people that have gone to parties all weekend,
> starting with Happy Hour Friday afternoon.

It's called moral panic, and it did not go away after the McMartin trial.


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