Elgin police host trick-or-treaters

Droves of kids in costume and their parents toured the Elgin Police Department Wednesday afternoon as police personnel handed out candy to the eager visitors.

There were adults in costume, too, including Lt. Kevin Senne in a blazer-and-pants pumpkin suit, community outreach specialist Christy Schmidt looking like a pirate, and Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association volunteer Jeanette Jackson dressed as a bee. There was even a "crime scene" with a body outline surrounded by yellow crime tape.

"I don't think he was expecting this. He thought we were only coming for candy," Megan Uphoff of Elgin said of her 3-year-old son, Jude, who was dressed as a fox.

The station initially was stocked with 11 bags of 325 pieces of candy each, and more were bought on Wednesday as supplies began to run low. Ultimately, about 10,000 pieces of candy were handed out.

"I think we got more people than at our Christmas open house. We had 400 people then," Lt. Jeff Adam said.

The police department's first in-house trick-or-treat event was Police Chief Ana Lalley's idea.

The kids with the best costumes - besides getting lots of candy - got to take photos with Lalley. The kids with the overall two best costumes each got a five-pound chocolate bar.

A third winner, who also will get a five-pound chocolate bar, will be picked among photos of kids in Halloween costumes submitted to the police department via Facebook Messenger, Hilton said. The deadline for submission is midnight Thursday.

One of the three chocolate bars contains a special orange Elgin police patch, and the child who finds that will get a ride to school in a police squad car, police spokeswoman Kristie Hilton said.

"We wanted to make it special," she said.