Orlando police discuss how to stay safe this Halloween
The Orlando Police Department will hosts its annual trunk-or-treat event on Thursday, Oct. 30 from 4-7 p.m.
AGENCIES ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA ARE GOING INTO OVERDRIVE TO HELP KEEP EVERYONE SAFE AND MAKE THE MOST OF HALLOWEEN. YOU SEE OUR COUNTDOWN TO DAYS 14 HOURS, 17 MINUTES AND 45 SECONDS. BUT WHO’S GETTING SPECIFIC? CORPORAL MICHELLE ROGERS AND SERGEANT RODNEY VANCE FROM THE ORLANDO POLICE DEPARTMENT ARE JOINING ME THIS MORNING. THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING IN, GUYS. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. WE’RE HAPPY TO BE HERE. LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT PARENTS GUARDIANS NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT. WE IT’S A VERY EXCITING TIME OF YEAR. BUT ALSO WHAT KIND OF CONVERSATIONS MAYBE WE SHOULD BE HAVING WITH OUR KIDS AHEAD OF FRIDAY. IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS ALWAYS ABOUT SAFETY, AND SAFETY IS ALWAYS PARAMOUNT WHEN IT COMES TO HAVING FUN, AND SOMETIMES WE GET CAUGHT UP IN THE MOMENT, SO IT’S IMPORTANT TO BE REMINDING YOURSELF ABOUT THINGS OF SAFETY, LIKE WEARING REFLECTIVE CLOTHING, STAYING WELL LIT, THINGS THAT GLOW, MAKING SURE THAT PARENTS ARE CHECKING CANDY IF THINGS ARE UNWRAPPED, MAKE SURE YOU JUST TOSS IT. DON’T EVEN BOTHER FOLLOWING TRAFFIC RULES. THINGS OF THAT NATURE. LET’S TALK SPECIFICALLY WHEN IT COMES TO OUR YOUNGER KIDS, WHEN THEY GO OUT TRICK OR TREATING, MINE ARE SEVEN AND NINE AND THEY ASK, MOM, CAN WE GO OUT BY OURSELVES? I SAID, NO, SORRY, I’M GOING TO BE GOING WITH YOU. WHAT KIND OF CONVERSATION SHOULD WE BE HAVING WITH THAT AGE? SO WITH THAT AGE AND I HAVE LITTLE ONES TOO, SO I CAN RELATE. I USUALLY SIT DOWN WITH THEM AND TALK ABOUT A PLAN. INVOLVE THEM IN YOUR PLAN. PLAN YOUR ROUTE. ALSO TALK ABOUT WE’RE ONLY GOING TO VISIT HOMES THAT ARE WELL LIT, THAT HAVE DECORATIONS OF HALLOWEEN, AND THEY’RE PARTICIPATING IN THE FESTIVITIES. ANOTHER THING TO REMIND OUR LITTLE ONES TOO, IS THAT USE THE SIDEWALK. THEY KNOW. LOOK TO THE LEFT. LOOK TO THE RIGHT. BEFORE CROSSING. USE MOMMY’S HAND. THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT THAT THEY ALREADY KNOW. BUT LIKE I SAID BEFORE, SOMETIMES THEY GET EXCITED AND CAUGHT UP IN THE MOMENT MOMENT. SO STRENGTH IN NUMBERS RELY ON YOUR NEIGHBORS, YOUR FRIENDS, MORE EYES. TRICK OR TREAT. AS A GROUP. IT’S A GREAT THING AND A GREAT TOOL TO HAVE AS YOUR FRIENDS. MINE IS A WEREWOLF AND EVEN HIS MASK. I WAS LIKE, I MIGHT HAVE TO CUT THE HOLES AROUND THE EYES A LITTLE BIT MORE BECAUSE I FELT LIKE HE COULDN’T EVEN SEE, YOU KNOW, WHERE HE WAS WALKING. SO HAVING TO BE CAREFUL. THAT’S A GREAT IDEA ABOUT OUR TEENS. I KNOW OUR TEENS PROBABLY WANT TO GO OUT AND BE BY THEMSELVES. SO WHAT SHOULD WE TELL OUR KIDS THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT OLDER, A LITTLE BIT OF THE SAME TIPS THAT GO ALONG WITH THE YOUNG ONES. MAKE SURE THEY STAY IN GROUPS. MAKE SURE THEIR COSTUMES THAT IF THEY’RE CARRYING ANYTHING THAT MAY LOOK LIKE A WEAPON, THAT THE WEAPONS CLEARLY LOOK LIKE THEY’RE FAKE. SO PEOPLE DON’T CONFUSE THEM WITH BEING REAL. MAKE SURE THAT THEY ALL HAVE PHONES THESE DAYS. SO MAKE SURE IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE WITH THEM THAT THEY HAVE THEIR LOCATION SERVICES ON THEIR PHONE ON. SO IF SOMETHING DOES HAPPEN, YOU KNOW WHERE THEY ARE. AND JUST MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE, AS A PARENT, HAVE A GENERAL IDEA OF WHO THEY’RE GOING OUT WITH. DON’T JUST LET THEM GO ON OUT WITH PEOPLE WHO YOU MAY NOT KNOW. THAT WAY, IF YOU CAN’T GET IN CONTACT WITH THEM, THERE’S SOMEBODY ELSE IN THE GROUP THAT YOU CAN GET IN CONTACT WITH. I WAS RAISED BY MILITARY FOLK. THEY SAID, FILE THE FLIGHT PLAN AND STICK TO IT. THAT’S RIGHT. MISCONCEPTIONS, THINGS THAT WE DON’T THINK ABOUT THAT PARENTS SHOULD KNOW, THINGS THAT WE DON’T THINK ABOUT SOMETIMES IS JUST TRICK OR TREATING AS A GROUP. SOMETIMES WE JUST GET SO CAUGHT UP IN THE RUSHING OF GETTING THE COSTUMES ON AND RUSHING AND TRYING TO GO BEFORE IT GETS DARK OUT. BUT ONE THING THAT YOU CAN REMEMBER IS BRING A FLASHLIGHT. A FLASHLIGHT CAN ALSO LIGHT YOUR PATH ONCE THE STREETLIGHTS COME ON, IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT IT’S TIME TO STOP HAVING FUN. IT JUST MEANS THAT WE’RE ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR SAFETY. AND IF WE WORK TOGETHER, IT’S GOING TO BE AWESOME AND YOU GUYS CAN HAVE A SAFE HALLOWEEN. SPEAKING OF SAFE, YOU GUYS HAVE AN EVENT. WHAT ARE THE DETAILS FOR THAT? YES. SO ON THURSDAY AT OUR HEADQUARTERS BUILDING ON SOUTH STREET, WE’LL BE HAVING A TRUNK OR TREAT EVENT FROM 4 TO 7 P.M. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE OFFICERS FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT ARE GOING TO BE SETTING UP THEIR CARS. WE’LL HAVE PLENTY OF CANDY AND EVENTS FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES TO COME OUT AND ENJOY IN THE SAFETY OF THE POLICE STATION. YOU KNOW IT’S SAFE AND YOU GET TO MEET SOME OF YOUR LOCAL HEROES, TOO. THAT IS A GREAT WAY TO DO THAT. WE DID HAVE THE INFORMATION UP ON THE SCREEN. WE’LL ALSO POST A LINK TO THIS ON OUR WEBSITE WESH.COM. SERGEANT VANCE
Orlando police discuss how to stay safe this Halloween
The Orlando Police Department will hosts its annual trunk-or-treat event on Thursday, Oct. 30 from 4-7 p.m.
Updated: 10:27 AM EDT Oct 28, 2025
Sergeant Rodney Vance and Corporal Michelle Rogers of the Orlando Police Department join WESH 2 to discuss how kids, teens and families can stay safe this Halloween.OPD will hosts its annual trunk-or-treat event on Thursday, Oct. 30 from 4-7 p.m. The free community event will be held at the department’s headquarters on West South Street.Click here to learn more
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Sergeant Rodney Vance and Corporal Michelle Rogers of the Orlando Police Department join WESH 2 to discuss how kids, teens and families can stay safe this Halloween.
OPD will hosts its annual trunk-or-treat event on Thursday, Oct. 30 from 4-7 p.m.
The free community event will be held at the department’s headquarters on West South Street.
Click here to learn more