Before nightfall, parole agents gathered in East Central Fresno on Friday to go over their plans for “Operation Boo.”<\/p>\n
The law enforcement action is to contact convicted and registered sex offenders who served time behind bars and are now free.<\/p>\n
Authorities say it’s all to make sure sex criminals are not doing anything to lure potential victims to their homes.<\/p>\n
Agent Robert Provencio with the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation says when convicted sex offenders are released from serving jail time, they agree not to participate in holidays like Halloween.<\/p>\n
“They cannot have any decorations, they cannot have any candies in the residence. And no light, no exterior lights can be on at the residence,” Agent Provencio says.<\/p>\n
He explains that agents are going to focus on those with underage victims and then spread out to other sexual predators.<\/p>\n
If law enforcement does find someone not following the rules, they will be arrested immediately.<\/p>\n
“The goal is that families and children are enjoying Halloween, there are no other victims out there,” he says.<\/p>\n
Provencio says Operation Boo has been ongoing for decades across the state, including in Tulare County.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office conducted its own operation.<\/p>\n
“Doing it a couple days before kind of sends the message out there, like hey, we haven’t forgotten about you. We know that you’re out there. We’re watching and we’re making sure you’re staying in compliance when it comes to the law,” Ashley Ritchie, Media Supervisor for the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.<\/p>\n
The Sheriff’s Office says they visited over 60 homes and made no arrests during Thursday’s operation.<\/p>\n
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