The Seymour Police Department wants to start a controlled Trick-or-Treating event to keep children off the streets on Halloween night.
Community Police Officer Sergio Desiderato has proposed hosting a “Trick or Trunk” event like the one Oxford hosts each Halloween.
At a “Trick-or-Trunk” parents fill their car trunks with candy, park in a closed-off parking lot and let their children walk from car to car to trick-or-treat.
Desiderato said the idea is popular for parents who want their children to be safe on Halloween night, and is liked by the police department, which worries about car accidents with children running the streets wearing dark clothing.
“It would be a win-win,” Desiderato told the Board of Police Commissioners Thursday. “Not only for police, but for the community as well.”
Desiderato said Oxford organizers have told him Seymour residents frequently attend Oxford’s event, so there would be a need for a similar event in town.
He proposed holding it at the Seymour High School parking lot.
Only a certain number of cars would be allowed into the lot, and the gate would be closed before the event starts, Desiderato said.
“The beautiful part of the program is we have people in a controlled area,” Desiderato said.
The proposal includes having a DJ playing music, prizes for best decorated cars and other Halloween activities.
The commission said it would talk with Desiderato about the details, but one commissioner — Howard Simpson — worried that the town already has similar events.
The downtown businesses host a trick-or-treat day on a Saturday afternoon during October, where children can collect candy at the various shops.
And the Seymour Land Trust hosts a haunted trails event each year.
