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Halloween safety for Lincoln youth
— Lincoln Police Dept. officer interview
[October 29, 2025]
Halloween is on the horizon and
with it possible safety concerns for the younger generation of
Lincoln. This Halloween season Lincoln Police Officer Jacquelynn
Hannel gave insight about what citizens should be looking out for,
tips for child safety, and advice for teens looking to get up to
trouble.
For Lincoln, Hannel describes it as a relatively safe town and that
there has previously been no major issues during the spooky season.
“We don't have any more [trouble] than normal, besides for kids
getting into things they shouldn't—not going in at curfew.” Hannel
said. “Just staying out late. Sometimes they, you know, trespass on
people's property or damage things.”
It was noted by Hannel that some alternatives to get out of
“mischief” this season could be to go to friends houses to hang out
to celebrate Halloween—Halloween movies can be a great way to enjoy
a good thrill this Friday.
When questioned about possible
repercussions of kids causing damage to property or trespassing,
Hannel stated, “If they're doing criminal activity, then it'll be
handled accordingly, you know what I mean, according to laws. And
then we usually get in contact with parents”
Although older kids and teens can often get up to mischief around
this time, parents should also be aware of their younger children.
“For littles, you know, just make sure they have, they're able to be
seen, maybe have a light or something on them, don't leave them
unattended, you know, checking their candy stuff like that.”
Hannel stated that although it is uncommon, parents should be aware
of possibly tampered candy children collect due to reports of
dangerous items in candy in other areas.
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“I mean, we've
honestly never had any issues with that [tampered candy]. It's
just something, I mean, I've personally always done with my
kids, is checking their candy to make sure it doesn't look like
it's been opened and resealed, or, you know, anything of the
sort.” She
also shared about how the Lincoln Police Department would be
celebrating Halloween, “We’re actually handing out candy here at the
PD on Friday and on Thursday night.” She said. “Well, Thursday night
will be downtown. I think it's a Lincoln Christian church, but we'll
be here at the PD Friday night hanging out candy, and then we just,
you know, patrol, make sure everything's going well, kids are safe.”
If you are attending this event, remember to keep children in
costumes that people can see from cars, Hannel repeated the
following to show costume importance “ Just make sure they can be
seen if they're going to be out trick or treating.”
However, in the end she recommends simply being aware of where your
children are is the takeaway of her advice.
“Just make sure you know where your kids are at. Make sure that you
know where they're at and, you know, make sure they're safe. Make
sure they know what the curfew hours are, so we're not having to
locate them and bring them home later, or they're not getting into
trouble hanging out with their own crowd.”
[Sophia Larimore]
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