Buffalo, NY
(WKBW)
Eyewitness news followed parole officers as they conducted surprise visits at sex offender's homes. The officers say spot checks like these are even more important on a day like Halloween where kids can be more at risk.
"Some people might not be doing what they're supposed to be doing and they need to be checked," said William Fraizer.
Fraizer is a level three sex offender, the most dangerous out there.
"I'm going to do a breathalyzer. Have you been drinking tonight?" asks Amy Commiskey, a parole officer with the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
"No ma'am," replied Fraizer.
Fraizer spent five years in prison for attempted rape and attempted sexual assault. He was released last February and now lives in a tiny room in a boarding house in Buffalo.
"It's actually in a safe radius range where there's no schools, there's no daycares, there's no playgrounds," stated Fraizer.
Even still, the department of corrections isn't taking any chances.
"We're checking to see if they have any movies that they shouldn't have, checking to make sure they're not handing out any candy, don't have any decorations or trying to lure children into the house," said Commiskey.
The dangers of trick or treating door to door is why many concerned parents opt for indoor options like the annual event at the Buffalo Museum of Science.
"I want the safety for my daughter," said Richard Harden.
"My concern is basically the people maybe coming to the door maybe dressed the wrong way or even i don't know what's going on at they home," said Eli Franklin a parent attending the Buffalo Museum of Science.
Fraizer says he can identify with that concern. He looks at the stepped up Halloween patrols as a way to support him on his road to recovery.
"There's incidents all the time on the news and stuff where things are happening and just want to be assured that everybody is what they're supposed to be doing," said Fraizer.
It was a good night for the parole officers everyone checked out okay.
The Department of Corrections has been conducting Halloween checks for the past five years and will continue them along with regular monthly checks.
