Dupage County Sheriff Goes CSI For Halloween

In Dupage County it was a C-S-I Halloween. The Sheriff's office is going high-tech to make sure your kids' treats aren't trouble in pretty wrapping.

Julie Westberg is a protective mother of four. She says the main goal of trick-or-treating is the obvious - to get lots of candy.

"We probably come up with over 3 pounds. Yep, it's a lot," Westberg says.  But to make sure it's all safe, Westberg won't let her kids eat it until she has sorted and inspected it. She says there's always a worry about safety. "Unfortunately there are a few bad apples in the group," she says of prospective treats.

At the Dupage County Sheriff's crime lab, director John Collins can see things on candy wrappers that parents can't.

 He uses a microscope and special lights to analyze the treats."We're looking for obvious signs of tampering," Collins says. "It's an opportunity for people who might want to harm a child to do so.

Collins says ten years ago kids at a Dupage County school noticed pieces of candy scattered on the playground. Teachers called police.  The candy had been punctured and tainted.

" If you see something suspicious, call the police or the Sheriff's office, says Collins.  "Even though it's a piece of candy, it could be evidence."

And Westberg knows it's better to be safe than sorry. "When I trick or treated it was not the same, so you do have to be wary that someone can put something in there."

The Dupage County Crime Lab will be open through Monday to check any suspicious halloween candy.