Local children learned about Halloween safety from Picayune Police Detective James Bolton during Friday’s story hour at the Margaret Reed Crosby Memorial Library.

“It’s very important because kids can get lost or separated from their parents,” Bolton said.

Some Halloween safety measures for trick-or-treating include dressing children in reflective clothing, walking on sidewalks when possible and bringing flashlights, Bolton said.

Children should remember to go trick-or-treating in groups, and parents should make sure there are enough adults present to watch each group of kids, Bolton said.

Police officers will be out on Halloween night, Bolton told the children. He also took questions from the Story Hour attendees. One 5-year-old asked how many officers are in the department, how someone gets a gold detective badge and if the other officers are Bolton’s friends. The detective informed her there are approximately 30 officers in the Picayune Police Department, it takes 12 weeks of training initially and subsequent annual training to become an officer, and the other officers are his friends.

Bolton also told the group of attentive 5-year-olds to make sure their parents check the candy they receive before they eat it.

Cindy Grayson plans to take her granddaughter Aurora trick-or-treating and Grayson said she enjoyed the Story Hour presentation.

“You can never be too safe with these kids,” Grayson said. “It’s a scary world out there.”

Any children who see a problem while they’re trick-or-treating should tell an adult, Bolton said.