As trick-or-treating roamed the streets of Marion County neighborhoods last week, dozens of local law enforcement officers personally approached registered sex offenders and predators to ensure they stayed away from any Halloween celebrations.

Andres Sanchez, his wife, Monserrat Sanchez, and their three children went on a candy hunt for Halloween night in the town of Huntington, about seven miles east of Ocala.

The family wore conflicting costumes: the 8-year-old daughter, a character from Disney’s “Zombies,” the 10-year-old son, the ringleader of “The Greatest Showman” and the 13-year-old clown daughter. clothes – and in pursuit of dessert, they took home a few buckets of candy.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office announced “Operation Candy Sweep,” an initiative to check in on registered sex offenders on Halloween night to make sure they are away from trick-or-treating and holiday activities.

There are approximately 210 registered offenders or predators on probation in the county, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s sex offender registry.

The neighborhood Sanchez’s family visited appeared safe, said Sanchez, who thought the police presence was fairly low.

“Unlike being closer to downtown Ocala, there really isn’t a need for law enforcement there,” he said.

Approximately 65 law enforcement personnel assisted in the sweep, including 27 from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and personnel from two outside departments.

Additional law enforcement officers attended community events as a security precaution. Marion County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Zachary Moore said the sweep does not impact normal operations and occurs annually.

Critics of the sweep argue that registration initiatives are ineffective and waste law enforcement resources. Registered offenders are unlikely to reoffend and pose little threat to trick-or-treaters, said Brenda Jones, executive director of the National Association for Rational Sexual Offense Laws.

“This is actually more of a PR stunt, to say the least,” he said.

Jones said similar sweeps are a growing national trend and dehumanize them by drawing public attention to registered criminals.

According to a 2015 U.S. Department of Justice Report, sexual crime rates range from 5% after three years to 24% after 15 years. However, a Criminal Justice Review study this year argued that it is difficult to accurately predict long-term recidivism and found that research methodologies are flawed after decades of pressure by law enforcement.

But for families like Sanchez, the presence of law enforcement means a lot. Montserrat Sanchez reposted the Ocala Police Department’s list of sex offenders and predators in the city on Facebook. Andres Sanchez said he has no plans to move anywhere else in Florida.

“We love it there, it’s beautiful,” he said.
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