Spooks and princesses, superheroes and cartoon characters will appear all over Bulloch County Wednesday evening as the official “trick or treating” Halloween event gets underway.
    Statesboro, Brooklet and Portal police will all have extra patrols out, and Bulloch County sheriff’s deputies will cruise rural areas as children in costume roam neighborhoods in search of sweet treats from 6 to 8 p.m.
    Statesboro Police Community Relations Officer Justin Samples asks drivers to “Please use extra caution while driving in residential areas and be alert for children and parents that may be walking along the sides of the road or crossing the roadway.”
    High visibility is important, Samples said.
    “There is still a limited supply of reflective trick-or-treat bags available at the Statesboro Police Department and at Statesboro City Hall,” he said. “The reflective bags help to make trick-or-treaters more visible to vehicle traffic, but to increase public safety, pedestrians are still to use caution and follow all normal pedestrian laws that concern walking along and across roadways.”
Brooklet Police Chief Mike Buchan said there is usually a large crowd of treat-seeking children in Brooklet and advised parents to make sure their children stay out of roadways.
    “Pay attention to the smaller kids and be safe,” he said.
    “We usually have a pretty good amount of trick-or-treaters in our area,” Portal Police Chief Jason Sapp said. “Remember to wear reflective clothing, and carry a flashlight, since most Halloween costumes are dark colored. Children should stay with their group and have an adult with them.”
    Other Bulloch County communities, including Register, will likely observe Halloween’s trick-or-treating tradition at the same time, said Portal Police Capt. Bobby Ivey, who also works with the Register Police Department.
    Samples offered tips for safe truck-or-treating: stay in well-lighted areas, don’t go out alone, have an adult check treats to see whether they may have been tampered with, and only visit houses you know.
    Parents or guardians are advised to monitor their children’s activities — stay within a known neighborhood, and make sure older kids go with friends if not accompanied by an adult. Samples added that children should be reminded to never enter a strange home or car.

Holli Deal Bragg may be reached at (912) 489-9414.