There are many reports of police officers not doing their jobs. Aside from simple negligence, a recent case has sparked deeper concern. A survivor of assault has raised alarms after discovering that the Austin Police Department (APD) halted in-person address verifications for registered offenders in Austin, Texas. Posting anonymously on Reddit under the username u/Incognito0416, the survivor claimed that APD’s Sex Offender Apprehension and Registration (SOAR) Unit has not been consistently verifying addresses for years, despite a 2024 press release touting major improvements in compliance checks.
The survivor said they began investigating the issue after noticing inconsistencies in their own case record. When they contacted APD to confirm when their offender’s address was last verified, they said they were told the department was “short-staffed” and later discovered that in-person checks had not been conducted for an extended period.
In an email exchange from 2023, the survivor said an APD official asked them to clarify what the law required for such verifications, a question that left the victim shocked and alarmed. Under Chapter 62 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, law enforcement agencies are required to routinely verify the addresses of registered offenders to ensure compliance with state law.
In October 2024, APD issued a press release stating that since January of that year, the SOAR Unit had verified over 950 registered offenders, identified 206 as potentially non-compliant (roughly one in four), and issued 54 warrants.
At the time, APD described the initiative as a proactive effort to enhance public safety and restore confidence in the registry system. However, in 2025, APD leadership reportedly reassigned detectives from specialized units like SOAR to street patrol duties amid department-wide staffing shortages.
According to the survivor, these staffing changes effectively paused verification work once again. Now, the Austin citizen is demanding transparency from city officials. “Austin deserves better than excuses. We deserve accountability,” u/Incognito0416 wrote.
Members of the r/Austin subreddit were shocked and outraged at the news. Many could not believe that Austin police were not performing their duties despite being funded by taxpayers.
One user wrote, “Yeah, they need to be doing verification. Question for people that know the various local law enforcement systems; aren’t the constables the ones that generally do the work of the courts, like issuing notices and going after people that fail to appear in court?”
Another said, “It’s disgusting. I hope you find the peace and care that you deserve from somewhere. I’m sorry it can’t be from one of the largest leeches of your tax dollars. You are important. They are the ones in the wrong. Thank you for speaking out in some way.”
