Parents Warned: Check Quincy’s Offender Map Before Halloween

Better safe than sorry. If you're a parent who has kids who plan to trick or treat on October 31, you really should check a safety map first to make sure that where they're going is not dangerous.

The Illinois State Police have a public sex offender map that you need to be aware of

I want to be clear about several things before I share this. First, you deserve to know if a sex offender lives near where you live or work. Second, just because the Illinois State Police make this registry public for a reason, it is NOT legal to use it to harass or bring any type of harm against those who are on this registry. Finally, I will not share any list of names. What I have done is to enter the address of our radio station at 408 North 24th Street in Quincy, Illinois and asked the registry to show all registered offenders within a 5 mile radius for the purpose of showing you why you need to be careful.

I think the days of going house to house asking for candy are pretty much behind us, but there are still a few that want to celebrate October 31 the old fashioned way. If you're a parent, it's a good idea to enter your address into the Illinois Sex Offender registry and make sure that where your kids want to go is safe. It does not mean that those listed have not changed their lives for the better. It's just a fact that you deserve to know. Back to my original point. Better safe than sorry.