AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas Department of Public Safety audit into Austin Police Department's sexual assault cases found dozens had been wrongfully cleared.
- SAFE Alliance works with sexual assault victims
- Group hopes audit will encourage victims to come forth
The SAFE Alliance works directly with victims, who report assaults to Austin Police.
Juliana Gonzales, the Senior Director of Sexual Assault Services, said that she has looked over the audit, but is waiting to hear what comes of a meeting with DPS.
"I was pretty heartened to hear that APD was going to sit down with DPS and run through those cases on a case-by-case basis," said Gonzales.
READ MORE | APD Releases Full Audit of Sexual Assault Cases
Gonzales said that while the findings might be difficult to hear, the data is crucial to solving issues in the justice system.
"If we as a community can shine a bright light on what problems we are seeing, not just in law enforcement, but in every phase in the criminal justice system that transparency will allow us to do better work," said Gonzales.
Gonzales hopes that is will encourage more victims to come forward because only 9 percent of victims report sexual assaults to police in Texas.
"They aren't sure it will bring the kind of justice that they need in their life. It's a very long process," said Gonzales. "Transparency is critically important to survivors feeling comfortable and confident in the system."
In response to the audit, Austin's police detectives will all be retrained and a third party will review all cases.