A mandatory program in its third year kept sex offenders off the streets on Halloween night.

The Westchester Department of Probation assembled the sex offenders at Westchester County Courthouse in White Plains. This year 171 out of the 173 ordered to attend showed up.

Eddie Alvarez, a convicted sex offender, says the program is a good way to keep him out of trouble and to keep children safe.

Louis Conte with the Department of Probation says the majority of the men were found guilty of sexual assault of a minor. He says it is important for parents and children to understand that anyone can be a sex offender.

"These are not monsters in the bushes...they are family members, people with professional employment,? Conte says.

The program included a presentation about the effects of sexual abuse by a victim of abuse.

County probation officers and police are searching for the two men that did not attend. The men could be issued a violation of their probations once they are found.