(Seguin) — As the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office continues to make arrests tied to serious offenses such as child pornography, human trafficking and sexual predators, Guadalupe County Sheriff Joshua Ray is reminding residents that the highly visible approach is about more than enforcement — it’s about prevention.
By sharing arrests and case information through social media and local media outlets, he believes his team is working to keep the public informed and engaged. Sheriff Ray says the goal is not recognition, but awareness– reminding residents that these crimes exist locally as well.
“I mean, it’s been here. It’s been here before. It’s in the county surrounding us, the city surrounding us, all the states in the United States. It’s been here. We’re just devoting local resources to fighting it. And that’s why it’s in the public eye now, because we are actively pursuing these types of cases and criminals. And we’ll continue to do so because I personally feel that our children are our most valuable. resources and assets and I will do everything in my power to protect them,” said Ray.
Ray says a key part of assisting his department is encouraging residents to trust their instincts and report anything that seems suspicious.
“First and foremost, community members can always submit suspicious activity to the sheriff’s office. You can. It’s as simple as calling the sheriff’s office and saying, ‘hey, this, this particular situation doesn’t look right. I’m not sure if there’s anything illegal, but there’s something about it that bothers me and this is why.’ And we will follow up on it. We will investigate it because you never know when those hunches are going to lead to criminal activity,” said Ray.
Ray says many of the arrests are followed by comments from residents who indicated that certain individuals had already made them feel uncomfortable long before any charges were filed.
To report concerns, residents are encouraged to contact the sheriff’s office directly or submit tips through Guadalupe County Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers allows individuals to remain completely anonymous while providing information and, in some cases, may offer cash rewards if the tip leads to an arrest.
Tips can be submitted by calling 1-877-403-TIPS. They can also be made online by visiting gccsTIPS.com.