Police Ready For Halloween

By Andrew Gorosko

Pedestrian traffic on Main Street on Halloween night is second only to the throng that is attracted to the thoroughfare for the annual Labor Day Parade.

So, to deal with the hundreds of young trick-or-treaters who ply both sides of the busy street on Halloween night, police plan a heightened presence along the road as a public safety measure, according to Police Chief Michael Kehoe.

Also, during the Halloween weekend, police plan to step up their surveillance at the Fairfield Hills core campus, the town-owned facility where police have made several dozen arrests for trespassing during the past several weeks.

The former state psychiatric hospital has acquired a reputation for the paranormal among some people, prompting curiosity seekers to roam the premises in the nighttime seeking out ghosts, resulting in their receiving trespassing infractions for being on the grounds after hours. The property closes 30 minutes after sunset and reopens 30 minutes before sunrise.

As usual, the police station at 3 Main Street is expected to be trick-or-treat central on Halloween night, with police handing out copious amounts of candy to costumed juveniles making their Main Street rounds.

Chief Kehoe estimated this week that between 500 and 1,000 children can be expected to walk up and down both sides of the 3,500-foot-long section of Main Street which has sidewalks, seeking trick-or-treat candy.

Main Street trick-or-treating typically occurs between 4:30 pm to 9 pm on Halloween, Chief Kehoe said. Sunday, October 31, which is Halloween, is the first day of Eastern Standard Time, so nightfall will start that day at around 5 pm.

Police will visibly position themselves along Main Street to monitor pedestrian activity and vehicular traffic on that night, the police chief said. The move is intended to prevent injuries from occurring, he said. Police vehicle emergency lighting will be turned on to make police vehicles highly visible.

Chief Kehoe urged that pedestrians crossing Main Street use the marked crosswalks there for safety’s sake. Multiple crosswalks are located near the Main Street flagpole. Crosswalks also are located at the traffic signal near the police station, and also near Edmond Town Hall.

Main Street has become a very popular area for trick-or-treaters over the years, drawing many youths from out of town, who are attracted to the large number of homes there.

Police also plan roving patrols on Halloween to monitor for possible problems, including vandalism, Chief Kehoe said.

During the past several years, Halloween has seemed a less rowdy event than it was in the past, the police chief noted.

“I think we’ve changed the culture of Halloween,” he said.

Fairfield Hills

Since the town acquired the Fairfield Hills core campus from the state in August, town police have made several dozen arrests for trespassing there. Fairfield Hills’ history as a former state mental institution, which housed several thousand patients, has been publicized on television programs and on websites on the Internet, prompting the curious to inspect the vacant premises in seeking paranormal experiences.

The complex is underlain by a large pedestrian tunnel network. Since the Fairfield Hills acquisition, the town has been securing the premises, seeking to prevent people from illegally entering buildings and tunnels there.

Police plan to step up surveillance at Fairfield Hills on Halloween and on the nights preceding it to stem trespassing problems, Chief Kehoe said. “We’ll have our eyes and ears everywhere,” he said.

Recently, police have been placing barriers across some roads leading to Fairfield Hills to deter vehicle entry to the premises at night, when the core campus is closed to the public.

The large majority of people who have been charged with trespassing at Fairfield Hills have been those from out of town, Chief Kehoe said.

Besides town police, Fairfield Hills is patrolled by members of a private security firm that works for the town.