Halloween night, kids have a lot of scary options for entertainment. But with the threat of contaminated candy, prank-pulling teenagers, or even child predators, Halloween these days can be seriously scary. That is why the Metropolitan Police Department in the Seventh District throws an annual Halloween bash – a safe, supervised alternative for many kids who otherwise could face real life boogey men.

As party-goers arrived this year, they were directed to the “Hall of Horrors,” a haunted house constructed on the first floor of the MPD Seventh District Headquarters. Thrill seekers were led into a haunted lobby, then down a hallway that had been transformed into a terrifying, pitch-black lair filled with monsters, chainsaw murderers, and the living dead.

Though safe, the Halloween party’s Hall of Horrors was plenty scary. Each group exiting the Hall of Horrors included a handful of tearful and sometimes wailing small children. When asked what was so scary, Khalil, 4 years old, declared between sobs, “The monsters! The monsters!” Many other kids had looks of terror on their faces and were still screaming or laughing breathlessly as they pushed through the exit door.

With the help of a little cotton candy and the energetic beats coming from the WPGC trailer, however, most of the parents, teens and kids were able to quickly get back into a celebratory mood. DJ Storm of WPGC said “We’ve partnered with [the MPD for this event] for two years. Everything that is positive and different that kids can do, we want to be a part of it.”

Tremendously popular, the event drew hundreds of trick-or-treaters, parents and teens seeking food, fun and a good scare. The line leading up to the Hall of Horrors wrapped around the building and down the street, as little tots dressed as pumpkins and bumblebees, preteens dressed as vampires and witches, and adults in street clothes queued up for over a half hour to see what thrills awaited them inside.

Most of the officers working the event said that they chose to volunteer because of their personal commitment to children’s safety. Partners Thurman Powell and Valerie Eason, who have been MPD officers for 17 and 19 years respectively, have volunteered at the event for the past seven years. For Officer Eason and Officer Powell, that means working a regular seven-hour shift before volunteering at the Halloween party for up to eight additional hours. “[We volunteer] to help the kids in the community,” Officer Powell explained, “We do it to keep them off the streets.”

Officer Eason added, “We know a lot of the kids that come [to the Halloween party] because we work with all the schools in the area. We enjoy working with kids and want them to have a safe Halloween.”

In addition to providing a safe haven, the party was an opportunity for police officers to show their fun side to neighborhood kids. Surely for some trick-or-treaters, braving the Hall of Horrors helped them to appreciate the smiling folks in uniform awaiting them with a bag of candy at the exit.