By ADAM ARMOUR

Staff Writer

Despite the inevitable presence of vampires, witches, ghosts, the odd zombie here or there and the likely appearance of a half-dozen or so Hannah Montanas, perhaps the scariest thing sure to be roaming the streets on Halloween night is the possibility of a child getting hurt.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, statistics have shown Halloween night to be leading all other nights of the year in childhood pedestrian injuries and deaths. With so many children wandering the streets and sidewalks, it's easy to imagine how quickly the night can become nightmarish.

Lt. Brad Rogers of the Fulton Police Department said extra patrols will be out and about on Oct. 31 to help keep things running safely and smoothly.

"We'll have extra patrols on Halloween night just to ensure that traffic laws are being obeyed and for the general safety of trick-or-treaters," Rogers said. "The county is also going to step up its patrol where the volume of trick-or-treaters will be high."

Still, even with extra police patrol, it's up to parents to ensure the safety of their children. Some simple, precautionary measures can help keep the evening more safe than scary. First and foremost is keeping groups of children manageable. According to Rogers, it's a good idea to have several adults in tow when escorting large groups of costumed kids.

"If you have one or two parents trying to watch a bunch of kids, you may lose some here and there," he said. "Try to keep your groups manageable ... You need to have at least one adult for every three children when taking groups out trick-or-treating."

Additionally, before leaving home, it's a good idea to snap a picture of any costumed children. With so many disguised youngsters out on Halloween night, a picture can save a lot of time when trying to describe a missing child to police.

"It's always a good idea to have a picture of your child in his or her Halloween costume, at least on a digital camera, so that you can show exactly what he or she was wearing at that moment, in case the child wanders off," Rogers said. "It can help you give police an accurate description of your child and save a lot of time."

When choosing a trick-or-treating route, it's always a good idea to stick near known neighborhoods, although this isn't a necessity. According to Rogers, as long as the area is well-lit and open for easy movement, it should be relatively safe to take kids there.

"As long as the neighborhood is one that you trust, it should be OK," Rogers said. "Always travel in good, well-lit neighborhoods where there are no obstructions of traffic or anything else.

"It's also a good idea to pre-plan your route," he added, stating that having a planned destination can help keep groups together and prevent children from getting lost.

After trick-or-treating has ended but before children start sifting through their bags of sugar-packed loot, it's a good idea for parents to check for any loose candy. Various urban legends report syringes and narcotics tucked away in chocolate bars and peppermints just waiting to bring harm to unsuspecting children, but Rogers smiled and said this isn't usually the case. More often, he said, checking a child's candy can help prevent spreading germs and sickness than poisoned needles.

"You're not looking for razor blades in candy or anything," he said. "But, if you don't know where something came from, you probably don't want your child eating it. If you look in the bottom of their bags and see candy corn loose everywhere, you don't know exactly where that candy's been ... So, it's always a good idea to sift through your child's candy just for general safety and health."

With a little safety and some common sense, Halloween night will prove to hold more treats than tricks and won't be so scary after all.

Adam Armour can be reached at 862-3141 or by e-mailing adam.armour@itawamba360.com.