More than 300 California parole agents visited over 560 registered sex offenders statewide on Saturday, Oct. 31, during the 33rd annual Operation Boo.

The sweep, run by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Division of Adult Parole Operations (DAPO), has been in place since 1994, according to CDCR's Halloween Safety Campaign page. It focuses on sex offenders on parole who are not allowed to have contact with minors. Agents and local law enforcement partners conducted compliance checks and home visits "in communities across the state," according to CDCR.

No local agencies in the Folsom or El Dorado Hills area have confirmed their participation or released local figures from the operation.

What the rules require

Sex offenders under state parole supervision who cannot have contact with minors must follow strict conditions on Halloween night, according to CDCR. The requirements include:

  • A curfew from 5 p.m. Oct. 31 to 5 a.m. Nov. 1
  • All exterior lights turned off
  • No Halloween candy offered and no decorations displayed
  • Doors opened only for law enforcement, adult family members or emergency needs

Joaquin Lopez, who FOX40 reported has been with the department for more than 26 years, told the station that offenders caught violating any law during the checks face arrest. "They will be arrested and they will go to jail, even though it had nothing to do with Halloween per se," Lopez said.

Lopez said the operation's visibility is deliberate. "We want the parents to know that we're out there, the community to know, everybody to know," he said.

Scale of the operation

DAPO Director Bryan Bishop called it one of the division's largest operations, according to CDCR. The operation partners with local law enforcement agencies statewide.

CDCR had not released results from the 2026 operation as of Oct. 31, FOX40 reported. The prior year's operation produced 35 arrests statewide, with 94% of the parole population remaining in compliance, according to the department.

In 2023, agents conducted almost 2,000 compliance checks statewide during the 30th annual Operation Boo, according to a CDCR news release. That year, 53 parolees were found out of compliance and 43 were arrested.

Year-round monitoring

Outside of Halloween, parole agents monitor sex offenders through GPS devices, periodic compliance sweeps and Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement teams with local law enforcement, according to CDCR.

Residents can contact their local law enforcement agency for safety tips related to trick-or-treating and neighborhood safety.