NEW HAUNTS: More families than ever are...

NEW HAUNTS: More families than ever are expected to troll for candy at their school, city hall or police station Tuesday. Officers hope to offer safety and the chance to make a good first impression with kids. . . . So Fountain Valley hosts Monster Mask at Mile Square Regional Park, while costumed officers at Orange’s Hart Park will give kids fingerprinting and sweets. And Laguna Beach officers with “No Tricks and I’ll Treat” signs and flashing squad car lights will give candy to the costumed.

HOLIDAY SAFETY: McGruff the Crime Dog has visited scores of schools to deliver Halloween safety tips for the annual sugar trek around the neighborhood. . . . Laguna Beach community services officer Janna Moore says McGruff’s advice to parents is: Reflective tape should go on costume or candy bag, and revelers should tote glow sticks or flashlights; kids should be accompanied by elders, who should inspect all candy before it’s gobbled. . . . And last: “Only approach a home with lights on.”

IMMORTAL ELVIS: Mortal Kombat outfits from the popular movie have been in heavy demand this Halloween, but costume sellers say few are available. . . . Only one company makes the costumes, and it makes the duds of only one character, says Astrid Hickey, owner of Astrid’s Costume Attic in Buena Park. Spiderman, Batman, Power Rangers and even Winnie the Pooh are among the hottest sellers for kids. Pocahontas has failed to take off yet, vendors say. The King, Hickey says, is a perennial fave: “Every year people want Elvis. But only the white jumpsuit and cape Elvis.”

CRITTER ALERT: It’s not just black cats that should beware Halloween. All pets should be kept indoors around Halloween, says the O.C. Humane Society’s Eileen Pinder. “Unfortunately, we have people doing cruel things to animals, especially at this time of year. The satanic worshipers don’t just look for black cats. If it’s not safe for kids to trick-or-treat alone, it’s certainly not safe for our animals out there.”