FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Parole officers went house to house Thursday night, but not for fun.

They were looking for some paroled sex offenders who had violated the protocols they were supposed to follow on Halloween night.

Action News took a ride with the team in 2019 as they verified that parolees were in their homes from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m., that they didn’t open the door to anyone other than police. order and that they did not have any Halloween decorations or outdoor lights on.

Their houses are not supposed to attract cheaters.

“If they violate the parole conditions, they will investigate and decide whether or not to arrest him that night,” said Bhagwant Dhillon of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

“They therefore face up to 180 days in prison for violating parole conditions.”

All parolees they supervise must wear GPS monitors on their ankles to ensure they are where they are supposed to be and not where they should not be.

“Parole officers monitor GPS tracks daily and decide or verify that they do not enter schools, playgrounds or use these GPS tracks. We make sure they comply with the conditions of release conditional,” Dhillon said. “We’ll get an alert if they try to mess with the monitors, try to cut them off. And if they’re somewhere they’re not supposed to be.”

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said sexual abuse and kidnapping are not common on Halloween, but they still want parents and guardians to be safe.

Throughout the year, the department works to educate families on how to best protect their children.

“Raise awareness by keeping children and your teens safe, monitor social media and educate your children on what safe contact and unsafe contact is,” Dhillon said. “So 90% of all sex crimes against children are committed by family members and friends.”

If you believe someone is breaking the law, we encourage you to call 9-1-1 and not take any enforcement action yourself.