“ALL I WOULD SUGGEST IS USE COMMON SENSE” This from Lt. David Weekley of the University campus police department is the simplest, yet probably the best advice anyone could receive on Halloween.
“If the weather is good, we’ll put some officers on bikes and on foot,” Weekley said. “But we’re not adding additional people.” Campus police is going with a strategy of high patrol visibility but are not stepping up manpower, which means that students need to use their heads and be responsible.
Lt. Weekley warns, “Don’t overdo the alcohol,” as students are known to drink heavily at Halloween night parties.
Also, costumes should not include anything that resembles a real weapon, but those that can be easily identifiable as toys.
Lt. Brad Biller of the Bowling Green Police Division said, “Wear shoes that are comfortable to walk in” to avoid tripping over them. Biller also suggests, “Masks should not impede a person’s vision” and students with darkly colored costumes should carry flashlights to decrease the risk of an accident when walking from building to building.
A re-occuring problem on Halloween, according to Lt. Biller, lies in fire safety.
Avoid costumes with loose material that could catch fire on outdoor jack-o-lanterns. As for carved pumpkins in dorm rooms, remember to use light bulbs instead of candles to illuminate your work.
Motorists should be careful around parked cars and curbs for children darting across the street. They should also remember that some children may be wearing dark clothing, placing even more pressure on drivers to be cautious tonight, Biller said.
The BGPD will, like the University’s campus police, have a pronounced presence in residential neighborhoods, during the city’s specified trick-or-treat hours of 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Toledo’s NBC affiliate lends some tips for staying safe on their web site.
When trick-or-treating, always travel in a group and make sure that no stragglers get left behind. Drivers should not have any masks on that obstruct their vision or material that would get caught around the driver’s feet.
And, just as your parents did for you, inspect your candy for tampering.
Lt. Biller provides a final thought that everyone, trick-or-treating or not, should consider.
“We tell people to have fun but not to do anything that violates anyone else’s rights.”
