Staying Safe on Halloween – There’s a Secret

Common Sense! If it seems suspicious, it probably is.

Halloween is just days away, but your costume may not be the scariest thing on the streets. As the latest rendition of Halloween and its central haunt, Michael Myers, remind us all of the thrills and chills we seek around this time of year, AEGIS wants to remind you how to avoid being slashed (or maybe just having your candy stolen).

Los Angeles is getting a series of reminders on how to stay safe for this spooky day, including elementary students in Long Beach who were reminded to practice stranger danger and use the buddy-system while trick-or-treating.

AEGIS Security & Investigations wants to remind you about the public safety measures as well as the large-scale measures you should take this Halloween.

First, talk to your children about the safety risks they could encounter. Halloween should be a time of fun and costumes, so follow these best practices with your kids:

  • At home, keep your lights on and bright if you’re expecting young kids. If you are hosting a haunted house, make sure the entrances and exits are lit well-enough for people to see their way in and out and to ensure no one unexpected to you will pop out at guests.
  • If you have young children, do not leave them alone while trick-or-treating. Hold their hands even at the door. If you’re children are old enough to go alone, make sure they have a way of contacting you so they can check-in often.
  • Review with children how to call 9-1-1 (or their local emergency number) if they ever have an emergency or become lost.
  • Remind them about stranger danger!

Additionally, don’t forget the general principles of nighttime safety. Remain visible, whether wearing reflective clothing, using a flashlight, or staying on well-lit paths. Walk in pairs or groups. Adults should keep a charged phone handy and accessible in case they need to call 911. For more after-dark safety tips, click here.

For more Halloween Safety tips, check out these sites:

Spooky Truths Regarding Halloween Safety On and Off the Road

Safe Kids Halloween Safety Tips

A-Plus Halloween Safety

Second, don’t ignore the lessons from scary movies. Think back to Halloween 2016 when the “killer clown” craze was rampant in Southern California. People dressed as killer clowns made national and world news for the various pranks and truly frightful encounters near kids. Last year, the release of a revamped It has already proven to be problematic in one town where pranksters creeped out local law enforcement by tying red balloons to sewer grates.

Sure, it could be a funny stunt, but it could also be a predator looking to catch a kid Hollywood-style. Remind your children that if they see this or any other Halloween pranks that are out of your neighborhood’s norm to not go near it. If you are not trick-or-treating at or running through an approved, professional haunted house, avoid anything that looks like it is attempting to copy those entities.

Third, know what your security needs are for a party or a haunted house. If you’re hosting, you incur all of the costs that go into an emergency. Having physical security can reduce the potential risks. While most people use Halloween as a chance to pretend they’re evil, there are some who use it to be evil and wreak havoc.

Special event security is need-specific and different every time. Each occasion AEGIS’ personnel are dispatched into the field, they may be at a different location, with different clients, interacting with diverse people, and in entirely unique environments. Halloween is yet another unique setting in which events require adaptive needs. Our temporary event security solutions are flexible enough to adapt to changes in season, type of event, and clientele. Reliability, professionalism, and ability to adapt and react in a dynamic setting are a must. Our staff functions as our clients’ front line customer service personnel in addition to security, maintaining positive relationships and creating new ones.  AEGIS Security & Investigations creates and executes solutions for our clients to accomplish their event specific safety and security objectives.

Contact us today to fulfill your Halloween needs.

AEGIS Security & Investigations is a Los Angeles region company that is licensed and insured in the State of California to provide high-end armed and unarmed regular and temporary off-duty police officers, bodyguards, security officers, loss prevention agents, and event staff. Additionally, we offer services for private investigation, consultation, people tracing, and background investigation. Our trainings and workshops in the field of security licensure and counter-terrorism have been featured in news media and are renowned for their efficacy. For more information or to contact us, visit www.aegis.com.

By Chelsea Turner