Halloween curfews in Hopewells begin Thursday

Police offer safety tips

By John Tredrea, Staff Writer
   Because of damage to properties during Halloween time in years gone by, a curfew is in effect for all Hopewell Township minors tonight (Thursday), Friday night and Saturday night.
   The curfew, which is in effect from 9 p.m.-6 a.m. all three nights, was announced by Mayor Vanessa Sandom at Monday night’s Hopewell Township Committee meeting.
   The measure applies to everyone 17 and under. During the curfew, minors must not be on streets, alleys, parks or any other public places unless in the company of their parent or legal guardian. The curfew also applies to any lands abutting public places.
   Earlier this month, Hopewell Borough Council adopted a resolution proclaiming a Halloween season curfew for the same time period —from 9 p.m.-6 a.m., Oct. 30-Nov. 1 — for persons under 17 not accompanied by a parent or guardian.
   THE FOLLOWING are some Halloween safety tips:
   Motorists should stay alert, drive slowly, pay attention when entering and exiting driveways, and watch for children walking on sidewalks or roadways.
   Children should be careful crossing streets, particularly if their costume obscures vision or they wear dark clothing. They should use light-colored costumes short enough to prevent tripping and add reflectorized materials for an extra margin of safety. They should also use sidewalks wherever possible and walk facing traffic where there are no sidewalks. They should not stray outside their immediate neighborhood and only go to homes where residents have outside lights on as a sign of welcome.
   Children should treat everyone as a stranger, particularly anyone in costume, and refuse rides or walking with someone they don’t know. If a stranger frightens a child it should be reported to the police as quickly as possible.
   Homeowners should use caution when using candles to light their pathways. Candles should be a safe distance from the sidewalk or driveway. Some costumes are highly flammable or children may wear or carry items made of paper that can easily ignite.
   Finally, parents should inspect all treats and anything that looks like it was tampered with should be thrown away. Any indication of tampering, like torn wrappers, pinholes, and discolorations should be reported to police. Parents should discard treats that are not factory-wrapped or packaged like candy, popcorn, pretzels, cookies, and items in household plastic wrap, baggies or napkins.