CHENANGO COUNTY — With Halloween quickly approaching, the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office offered tips to the public with regard to keeping children and families safe.

OffenderWatch, a sex offender mapping and notification service, can be utilized by visiting the CCSO website. This service can help citizens in avoiding potentially dangerous homes.

There are approximately 187 registered sex offenders in Chenango County.

“We do the best we can in making sure sex offenders live where they tell us, so it is crucial that our citizens visit our website www.chenangosheriff.us to see who the registered sex offenders are and where they are living,” said Chenango County Sheriff Ernest R. Cutting Jr.

The office encourages residents to check any addresses on OffenderWatch where they or their family spends time. The mapping feature will show exactly where a sex offender lives.

Free automatic email updates are also available, which would inform a citizen if an offender moves within a specific radius of the address registered.