Police in one Massachusetts community are taking special steps to keep trick-or-treaters safe from sex offenders.
Methuen Police are checking the homes of sex offenders to make sure they are living where they claim to be. They are also offering maps showing parents where sex offenders live in the city.
"We evaluate their file, we do property checks, work checks," said Captain Kristopher McCarthy of the Methuen Police Department.
However, some say the maps go too far and may violate sex offenders' constitutional rights, arguing the maps may encourage harassment.
"Sex offenders really don't have a right to prevent the police from sharing information," said sexual violence attorney Wendy Murphy. "What they do have is a right to protection against harassment."
She also adds that parents' and children's rights are protected, too.
"If you're living next door to a sex offender or you just moved in and there's a sex offender living right next door with a long history of abusing children, you have a right to know that," she explained.
