HOUSTON – The Houston Police Department has stepped up sex offender checks in advance of Halloween.
A new directive adds patrol officers to the list of Houston Police Department employees who check on registered sex offenders.
The vast majority of the city's 5,300 registered sex offenders are not restricted from participating in the holiday.
"Most have the same rights as any other citizen. We just need to know where they are," Sgt. Richard Callis, with the Houston Police Department, said.
Callis and his partner, Sgt. Theodore White, are part of HPD's Sex Offender Registration and Compliance Unit.
Only certain convicted sex offenders, with specific parole or probation requirements are barred from handing out candy on Halloween.
Callis recommends that parents trick or treat with their younger children, and stay in cellphone contact with older children.
Parents can also check the Texas Department of Public Safety's registered sex offender database.
The public website allows user to map the locations of registered sex offenders.
"The majority of them are living where they're supposed to be. Of course there's always that few that aren't living where they're supposed to be," Callis said.
On Friday, Channel 2 rode along with Callis and White. We visited the homes of seven registered sex offenders in Southeast Houston. Not one of the men was at home during the middle of the workday.
Notes were left to call the Houston Police Department to check-in, in all cases.
Police suspected though, that two of the seven people were no longer living at their registered addresses.
Those cases will be pursued more aggressively, Callis said.
"If they're in the wind, and haven't come in to register or tell us, we'll file charges," Callis said.