Austin police did not verify registered sex offenders' information for 7 years, survivor says

AUSTIN, Texas - A sexual assault survivor said she was told the Austin Police Department did not verify registered sex offenders’ information for seven years.

Survivor shares her story

The backstory:

In 1999, Tressa Cooper survived a brutal sexual assault.

"I was at a work event, a co-worker who was a total stranger to me drugged me at the event, carried me out of a bathroom where I was taken to an apartment. I was brutally sexually assaulted for hours and following that attack, I was nearly strangled to death," Cooper said.

The man who did it, spent more than a decade in prison and was put on the lifetime sex offender registry. Every year he is required to take a picture, provide his address and employment, and it is posted online.

"When your government is putting out information, you have to assume that they're verifying the information, especially for something as concerning as a sex offender. You're hoping that that information that that sex offenders providing is actually verified," Cooper said.

When Cooper’s offender got out of prison and her protection order had ended, she said she wanted proof of verification, so she called the Austin Police Department.

"I want to know when the Austin Police Department physically verified the information provided to them, and I was told that they were not able for the last seven years. That was in 2022 when all of this started. For the last 7 years, they haven't done any physical verifications on any sex offender," Cooper said.

Timeline:

In 2023, the Austin Police Sex Offender Apprehension and Registration Unit asked Cooper to provide information that shows agencies have a duty to do compliance checks on offenders each year.

Federal law states jurisdictions are required to verify the information provided by sex offenders. It doesn’t specifically state how it should be verified.

Cooper said she couldn’t believe APD wasn’t going to homes and checking to make sure these people were really staying there.

"Does it make you nervous though? Technically, he could be living right next to you," FOX 7 Austin Crime Watch Reporter Meredith Aldis asked Cooper.

"That’s why I moved out of Austin," Cooper replied.

"You had to move because you did not feel protected?" Aldis asked.

"Yes," Cooper responded.

Tressa said she started calling APD every week.

"Every week I was kind of put off. Yes, we're going to go do it, yes, we're going to do it. It didn't happen until 2024, when they actually did a physical verification," Cooper said.

In 2024, Austin police said they did residence verifications for around 900 registered sex offenders, and of those, they found that about 1 in 5 were out of compliance. Fifty-four warrants were issued, and 20 people were arrested.

"This is not just a sex offender and sex crime victim problem. This should be a problem for every single person in the community, in the state, that they could be living next to someone that is not in compliance, or they could be working with someone that's not in compliance," Cooper said.

In a statement, Austin police said they have been doing compliance checks and continue to do so.

The Texas Public Sex Offender website shows Cooper’s offender was registered in May 2001 and was verified in February 2025.

By the numbers:

The Travis County Sheriff’s Office said as of last month, 549 people were on the county sex offender list. They said since 2020, they have conducted around 1,100 compliance checks, but records don’t indicate if that was by going to the offender’s residence or them coming to the sheriff’s office.

The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office said as of last month, 230 people were on the county’s registered sex offender’s list.

Compliance checks done at residences from 2020-2025:

• 2020: 129, 2 warrants issued, 2 arrests
• 2021: 125, 3 warrants issued, 3 arrests
• 2022: 120, 1 warrant issued, 1 arrest
• 2023: 183, 1 warrant issued, 1 arrest
• 2024: 251, 1 warrant issued, 1 arrest
• 2025: 239, 2 warrants issued, 1 arrest

The Hays County Sheriff’s Office said they do regular in-person compliance checks. Numbers were not provided.

Data from March 2025 shows the State of Texas does not meet minimum SORNA (Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act) requirements for tracking and penalizing absconders, community notification, and appearance and verification.

What's next:

Cooper is working with legislators on three specific things:

1. Physical verifications and having a streamlined process for all departments
2. Lifetime protection orders for sex crime victims
3. Publicly accessible sex offender system

FOX 7 is sitting down with an APD Sergeant with the SOAR Unit next week.

Austin police respond

"APD acknowledges the concerns of the survivor. We take these matters very seriously and survivor safety and trust are our top priorities.

The APD Sex Offender Apprehension and Registration (SOAR) Unit currently meets all the state requirement for sex offender verification. This includes registration and voluntary compliance checks, and close collaboration with other law enforcement agencies.

It is the responsibility of the offender to register and comply with court-ordered requirements-whether that is annually, quarterly, monthly, or otherwise directed by the state. For those who fail to meet the state requirements, the SOAR unit has measures in place to ensure verification occurs and, when necessary, warrants are issued.

APD continually looks for ways to improve and we want survivors and our community to feel safe and supported. State law establishes the procedures for how sex offender registration and verification is conducted. APD remains committed to following those guidelines.

Additionally, we have resources available for survivors and remain committed to ensuring safety, trust, and accountability across our community.

If you are survivor, please visit www.atxbelieves.org to connect with support in our community."

CrimeWatchCrime and Public SafetyAustin