Where do Houston's 5,900 sex offenders live? Police are cracking down

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Leading up to Halloween, Houston police check to make sure registered sex offenders across the city are living at their registered address. ABC13 was taken on a ride-along with HPD's Sex Crime Compliance unit.

"Houston police!" Detective Eva Vawters hollered outside one of the homes. "I am just making sure you live here. I am asking everyone to come out so I can put everyone on compliance."

There are 5,900 registered sex offenders in Houston, according to HPD. Of those, 1,539 sex offenders citywide are still on probation or parole. The southeast patrol, an area where police say they have one of their highest portion of sex offenders living, has 1,043 registered sex offenders.

Registered sex offenders have to notify police seven days before they move, and if they don't, that could lead to a felony charge for failure to register. All sex offenders are subject to compliance checks at least once a year. While this happens throughout the year, police say they tackle many of the checks leading up to Halloween.

"During Halloween, when we know the kids are going to be out on the streets, it's a little more of a priority for us to know where (sex offenders) live," Vawters said.

No one was living at one of the homes ABC13 went to.

"This house is burned. I don't know when the fire happened, but more than likely this is the start of an investigation, because he more than likely doesn't live here," Vawters said.

We found the man who was registered to live at this address living at a different home with eight other registered sex offenders.

"When did you move here?" Vawters asked.

"Maybe been a month?" the man replied.

"Do you have an appointment to change your address?" Vawters asked.

"Not yet, but I'll take care of it," he said.

"Really, in front of the news media? Come on, guys," Vawters said. "Really? It's Halloween and you are not in compliance and you had me go to your house that is burnt down and you don't have an appointment to register."

Vawters said it is not unusual to see many sex offenders living in the same home or area.

"I have one halfway house in northeast Houston that has 80 registered sex offenders living together," Vawters said. "I have one complex that varies between 100 and 120 and has 40 different apartments."

According to Vawters, the majority of juvenile sexual assault victims know their predators and says it has been a rewarding job working in the sex offender compliance unit.

"If we don't do our job, then they don't know where their offender is," Vawters said. "They have the right to know where their person is so they can stay far from that person."

Sex offender registries are searchable databases, available to the public. In order to search for an address or zip code, check the Houston Police Department sex offender database or the Texas Department of Public Safety sex offender database.

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