Halloween is a time for kids to play dress up and visit neighborhoods and local churches for trick or treating. It’s also the time of year that the Tennessee Dept. of Correction takes extra measures to keep those little ghosts and goblins safe with the launch of “Operation Blackout”. Operation Blackout is a yearly, statewide sweep to ensure registered sex offenders under TDOC supervision follow strict guidelines for the fall season and Halloween. Hundreds of teams of TDOC probation parole officers work with local law enforcement to saturate communities across the state, conducting random visits and compliance checks on more than 3,000 sex offenders statewide between October 21 and the morning of Nov. 1. These visits are in addition to the daily supervision the officers perform year round.