Halloween falls on Thursday this year. We expect many people will enjoy the holiday starting on  Thursday and continue through the weekend. While you will see some street closures around Olde Town Thursday night for kiddos to trickor-treat safely, there are still some safety tips parents should be mindful of:

- Set some ground rules before going out. Discuss with your child how far away they can go. Don’t allow them to cross streets alone or run off with friends without permission.

- Make sure the child’s costume is visible. Ninja costumes for example, while awesome, can be very difficult for drivers to see at night. Adding neon reflective tape can be helpful if the ninja costume is a must.

- Don’t let your child approach a house alone. There is no reason for a child to enter a home unless you are close friends with that person.

- Talk to your child about what to do if someone tries to grab them. Show them how to yell to get someone’s attention if they need help. A safety whistle may be a good idea.

While you do your part, we will be doing ours. Conyers Police will be working with the Parole office to ensure that sex offenders stay off the streets. Sex offender parolees have been ordered to remain indoors during Halloween festivities.

Please party responsibly. We want everyone to enjoy their Halloween but in a manner that doesn’t disturb neighbors, violate city ordinances, or put drunk drivers on the road. Predetermine who your designated driver will be or plan to take a taxi. Let’s have a fun, yet uneventful, Halloween weekend.

Following too closely

Consistently, the main cause of most crashes within the city is due to the at-fault driver following too close, or “tailgating,” the vehicle in front of them. It is important to remember the “Two Second Rule” when navigating the roadways. As long as you can count a full two seconds between the vehicle in front of you and yourself, you should be traveling at a safe distance from that vehicle. As speed increases, that distance will also increase as long as you keep at least two seconds of time between you and the person ahead of you. A driver can be cited for Following Too Closely, O.C.G.A. 40-6-49, if they are deemed to be following a vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of such vehicles and the traffic upon and the condition of the roadway. This is a common charge that is cited following a crash, but a driver can be cited for this at any time they are in violation.

Commendations

We would like to welcome back Officer Chase Bagwell from military leave. Officer Bagwell has returned to the department after a seven month absence. During this leave, he engaged in extended training at Fort Stewart for “Ready Force for Georgia.” This is a combat unit that is trained and ready in the event of any emergency or a deployment overseas. Officer Bagwell was also presented the Operation Noble Eagle Award from the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police upon his return for his military service to our country.