There will be plenty of police officers seen on Evanston sidewalks as groups of goons, goblins and cartoon characters panhandle for treats Monday. And not all of them will be wearing costumes.
“We want to provide a safe and enjoyable time for the kids to do their trick-or-treating,” said Deputy Police Chief Joseph Bellino of the Evanston Police Department. “We’re lucky we don’t have a real significant problem some municipalities have (on Halloween).”
Halloween falls on a Monday this year and follows Homecoming Weekend, another busy weekend for EPD. But Bellino said the department will deploy its officers the same way.
“The next day is a school day, ” he said. “We will have additional resources on the street so kids can do their trick-or-treating safely and get inside.”
Eggings and candy-snatching bullies are two of the main problems officers face on Halloween from Evanston youth, Bellino said.
“We sent out letters to Evanston retailers to have them be aware of who is buying eggs,” he said. “Also, you see kids getting strong-armed for their candy while they’re out trick-or-treating.”
Official trick-or-treating hours are one Evanston solution to Halloween debauchery. Trick-or-treaters are encouraged to go out between 4 and 7 p.m. to increase safety, Bellino said.
But this doesn’t solve every problem.
“A lot of kids will go out unaccompanied,” Bellino said. “They’ll get distracted and don’t look when they are crossing the street.”
University Police is focusing on the recent robberies near campus instead of the NU activities this weekend, said Assistant Chief Daniel McAleer of UP.
“Our focus is more broad than that – we’re not focused on Homecoming and Halloween but rather the overall safety of our students,” he said. “They are just part of what is going into the overall plan.”
McAleer said they are expecting more activity, but Halloween has not become a major issue in the past.
“EPD and UP are working together for Homecoming, the football game, after and throughout the weekend,” he said. “We continue to suggest students utilize shuttle buses and the escort service, to travel in groups and in well-lit and well-traveled areas.”
McAleer of UP emphasized the need for Northwestern students to be aware of more children out and about on Monday.
“There will be children out and we need to provide a safe environment for them,” he said. “Students can help make sure they are safe.”
Although there is criminal activity on the holiday, many of the calls EPD receives are about loud children and general neighborhood incivility, Bellino said.
“Neighbors will call expecting a police response,” he said. “Our job is to ensure sufficient resources are available to cover the extra complaints,” he said.
Bellino won’t be patrolling the streets Monday night himself – but he said he will have a sufficient supply of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to give out to trick-or-treaters.
Reach Laura Olson at [email protected].
