SAFE Kit Backlog Reduction at UCPO Forensic Laboratory.

In 2018, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office (USPO) Forensic Laboratory learned that there were a large number of sexual assault kits being held by municipal law enforcement agencies because they did not receive approval from an assistant prosecutor for testing, dating as far back as the early 2000s. After consultation with the Union County Prosecutor, the laboratory made a commitment to test all of these inactive sexual assault kits, testing them as quickly as possible without impacting active cases that are needed for prosecution. Also, on January 1, 2024, the UCPO Forensic Laboratory implemented a new target turnaround time of 30 days for active sexual assault kits (i.e. sexual assault kits that an assistant prosecutor has approved for testing), from the date that the sexual assault kit is received until the date that the report is released. In order to decrease the number of sexual assault forensic evidence (SAFE) kits waiting for testing and decrease the turnaround time for cases, the UCPO Forensic Laboratory is requesting funds to support two DNA analysts and a laboratory technician to process cases as well as a laboratory information management system (LIMS) administrator who will perform coding necessary to increase automation of the laboratory processes used to test SAFE kits; perform overtime work to process SAFE kits; purchase supplies to process backlogged kits; and purchase a tube-label printer that will increase the efficiency of sample processing.