Halloween hours not set in most area communities

Parents and children will need to use good judgment in determining when to start and end Halloween.

"We do recommend the tricking or treating done by 8 p.m.," said Scott City police chief Don Cobb. "We don't have a start time."

Chaffee is the only area city to set official Halloween hours, 5 to 8 p.m.

Sgt. Myriam Lockett of the Chaffee Police Department said children 16 and younger have a year-round curfew of 11 p.m. on weeknights, and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Scott City has the same curfew.

Cape Girardeau has an 11 p.m. curfew every night, according to police department spokesman Sgt. Barry Hovis. He said exceptions to that rule provide for teenagers with night jobs and those accompanied by adults.

Jackson has no set Halloween hours, though children who stop by the police station today will get candy, according to Lt. Rodney Barnes. The station is at Hope Street and Jackson Boulevard.

"We just don't have a curfew for juveniles in Jackson. ... We haven't seen a major problem with juvenile crime," Barnes said. "We do increase our presence in the community, especially in neighborhoods, on Halloween."

Generally speaking, Hovis said, turning on a porch light "is a signal you'll accept trick-or-treaters" as well as a safety measure.

While most police officers interviewed for this story are parents, none of their children is dressing as cops or robbers. Lockett said her son, 8, will be Spider-Man and her 9-year-old daughter is dressing as a U.S. Marine.

"She wanted to be like Mommy," said Lockett, who served eight years in the Marine Corps.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127