Portsmouth, Va. – Officers with the Portsmouth Police Department’s Community Services Unit will be assisting Portsmouth Probation and Parole Officers this evening as they conduct their annual Halloween public safety initiative, Operation Porch Lights Out.
This annual event, developed by the Department of Corrections more than 10 years ago, is being conducted in communities throughout the state of Virginia.
Tonight, October 31 starting at 5:30 p.m., officers will be assisting Probation and Parole by making random home visits to ensure that registered sex offenders, currently on court-ordered supervised probation or parole, are abiding by the terms of their specified court orders and instructions given by their assigned Probation Officer.
These terms require that the offender be inside their home with their porch lights out from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The offender is reminded to never answer knocks at their door when families are out trick-or-treating this evening and to refrain from decorating their home with Halloween themed decorations.
Officers with the Community Services Unit have been participating in this annual event with officers from Probation and Parole for a number of years to ensure that families out trick-or-treating have peace of mind knowing that officers are taking extra steps to make certain that all children within the community are safe and enjoy the evening festivities.
