Victoria TX Cracks Down on Sex Offenders to Keep Kids Safer

The City of Victoria is cracking down on sex offenders by implementing stricter guidelines for residency in our community.

You can read the Civic Alert here.

According to the alert,  "The Victoria City Council approved an ordinance at their Feb. 4 meeting that will prevent sex offenders from living near locations where children commonly gather."

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The Department of Justice does offer the opportunity for persons to investigate locations of known registered sex offenders which you can access here.

Under the ordinance, registered sex offenders who have been convicted of crimes involving minors may not live within 1,500 feet of schools, daycare facilities, playgrounds, youth centers, public swimming pools, video arcade facilities, public parks, or facilities that regularly holds events primarily for children.

The residency restrictions include exceptions for registered sex offenders who already lived within these child safety zones when the ordinance was established, and for those who lived at their residence prior to a designated facility being established.

The ordinance also prohibits registered sex offenders from inviting or enticing trick-or-treaters to come to their residences on Halloween.

Before the creation of this ordinance, registered sex offenders were only required to follow the residency restrictions established by state law, which are limited to 500 feet surrounding the designated facilities and only apply to registered sex offenders who are still on probation or parole.

The Victoria Police Department and the City Attorney’s Office collaborated to craft the new ordinance.

To view past City Council meetings and agendas, visit www.victoriatx.gov/tv15.

Want to learn about the life of law enforcement in our community? Check out the next dates for classes at the Victoria Civilian Police Academy here.