Initiative sets a statewide example
GEORGETOWN — In his role responding to distress calls across Williamson County, sheriff’s Sgt. Robert Tijerina often wondered how crime victims fared after he left the scene.
In the throes of trauma and grief, were victims or their loved ones able to secure necessary resources?
His musings helped lead a team to devise an app that victims or their loved ones can use to access needed assistance and netted the veteran lawman the county’s “Game Changer” award.
Tijerina remembers his epiphany at a crime scene where loved ones of a deceased victim gathered in collective grief for their fallen family member.
“I wonder what happened to crime victims after a period of time,” the 58-year-old Williamson County Sheriff’s Office deputy said. “There were eight family members. The thing I noticed is that every one of them had a cellphone. They were all communicating — including grandma — with loved ones. I walked away thinking we need to figure out a way to put all those resources in the palm of their hand.”
The realization led to the development of an app of sorts linking victims and survivors to helpful services.
Three years in the making, the app created for the Sheriff’s Office Victim Services Unit came to fruition this year, offering crime victims and their loved ones information about making funeral arrangements and locating grief support, domestic-violence resources, mental-health care and more. In recognition, the Williamson County Commissioners Court recently named Tijerina as one of four Employee of the Year recipients in addition to receiving the “Game Changer” award for his efforts.
“For me, this app is something that I can honestly say of everything we do — all the moments, especially the difficult ones — this will never go away,” he said. “It’s lasting.”
Metrics demonstrate growing use of the app, with an average 581 views between September 2023 and March, according to county officials.
The Sheriff’s Office is one of only two organizations statewide that have an app specifically aimed at providing consolidated resources to victims of crime, county officials said.
Beyond the links, the app provides guidance on more obscure services designed to ease the burden on family members, Tijerina noted.
For example, there’s an application for a crime victims’ compensation fund run by the state Attorney General’s Office.
Through the app, crime victims’ families can determine if their existing policies can be used to pay for cleanup of grisly crime scenes — an otherwise little-known benefit, Tijerina said.
Despite the accolades, Tijerina is quick to note the app’s development was the result of a team effort. He credits Luke Cooper, former victim advocate for the county, as having been instrumental in the process.
“He did a lot of the heavy lifting, meeting with the IT department,” Tijerina said.
He also gave a nod to his civilian assistants, Judy Velasquez and Angie Lopez, for championing the effort.
Priscilla Moreno, victim services coordinator in Taylor, often works with Tijerina in advocating for crime victims.
She said the app is just another hallmark of Tijerina’s concern for crime victims.
“It’s not just a job for him,” she said. “He’s passionate about victims.”
