NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — Halloween is just a few days away and the Nassau County Sheriff's Office is focusing on the safety of trick or treaters this year.
Public notice signs are up in neighborhoods across Nassau County warning people a sexual predator lives in the area and to not go near the home when asking for candy from neighbors.
"There are a lot of small children that live around here," Yulee Resident Sonya Leighton said. "I think it's a good idea for the children to be able to stay away and not walk up and not know what's going on there."
It's an extra step to keep kids safe this Halloween in neighborhoods across Nassau County.
Sheriff Bill Leeper says because more kids are out going door-to-door, officers have placed the signs right at the front of the homes of sexual predators with their names on it.
"There are 15 sexual predators that live in Nassau County, so we want to make sure the children out trick or treating stay away from those homes," Leeper said.
Leeper says the signs are a warning families should take seriously. As for people who are against the signs, he says they haven’t many complaints since they started putting the signs up.
Sonya Leighton and Cindy White live just a few houses down from a predator and they say want these signs up year-round.
"Everyone needs to know there is a predator in their neighborhood all of these kids need to stay protected and without it, they are not going to know, so it's safer that way," Yulee resident Cindy White said.
Even though residents are urging the sheriff's office to keep the signs up year-round, Sheriff Leeper says they will be taken down the day after Halloween.