HELENA, Ala. (WIAT) - As Halloween night comes to a close, thousands of trick-or-treaters took to the neighborhood roads for goodies. The Helena Police Department doing its part to keep everyone safe as they go from house to house.
"We dedicate an officer just to ride around this one neighborhood in a Polaris,” Helena Police Officer Mike Prather said.
Helena Police says Appleford is the busiest neighborhood in the city on Halloween night. The department expects thousands to be roaming the streets.
"Last year, we ran into so much congestion and traffic with all the people in the streets that it just became very hard to maneuver, even for us in a police vehicle with the blue lights on, so we decided to go straight to the Polaris this time," Officer Prather said. "A little bit more maneuverability, we still got the blue lights and the sirens and all that so we can still do what we need to do if something happens.”
Just because Prather patrolled in a smaller vehicle, doesn’t mean he’s not ready for any emergency.
“I’m fully dressed, have all the capabilities of a police officer, I’m ready to go in case something happens," he said. "I got the gear bag in the back that’s got my regular police stuff as well as a first aid kit and all of that in case I have to get involved in something.”
Some parents trick-or-treating with their kids say this is a neighborhood they feel safe to be walking around in.
"I think they’ve done better the last couple of years slowing it down in here, not letting everybody inside all the way to the back," one dad said. "At least you know there’s [a police officer] you can go talk to if something goes down, in case some kids get rowdy or something like that.”
Homeowners like Vinny Ciccazzo are also glad the Helena Police Department patrols the neighborhood.
"Used to be, we’d have cars pulling in this cul-de-sac which wasn’t safe, things like that, so Helena PD are always welcome," he said. "They come here every year to check on the cul-de-sac and come through the neighborhood.”
The extra security is especially appreciated by Ciccazzo and his neighbor Austin Hood, who have put on a backyard haunted house for the last ten years.
"I tell you, we have a lot of disappointed people that we’re not doing it anymore but we’re going to go out with a bang this year," Ciccazzo said. "This is the last year."
Helena Police says the turnout in the Appleford neighborhood continues to grow with each year.