Broward State Attorney's Office National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative

The Broward County State Attorney’s Office seeks funding to implement a Cold Case Sexual Assault Initiative to support the investigation and resolution of sexually motivated cold cases in the county. The State Attorney’s Office will form a partnership with the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the Broward Sheriff Office Criminal Laboratory, and the Nancy J. Cotterman Center to create a task force to address the prioritization of these cases, provide trauma-informed and victim-focused approaches to contact victims, and provide them with the services and support they need to help them in this process. Due to the highly diverse population in the county, the initiative proposes to provide cultural sensitivity training to all personnel involved in the initiative to ensure that the voices of underrepresented and marginalized victims and survivors are heard.

The current Sexual Assault Response Team will serve as the foundation to create a task force with a specific focus on addressing the prioritization of sexual assault cold cases. This task force, based on the information provided by the participating agencies, is estimated to present at least ten cases for investigation and prosecution during the three years of grant funding.
Grant funds will be used for personnel in the State Attorney’s Office, the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the Criminal Laboratory, and the Nancy J. Cotterman Center. Funding will also be used for advanced DNA testing, provide training for all personnel working on the initiative, and to provide language assistance to victims to ensure they receive the services they need and to ensure their understanding of the legal process. Allocation for travel to the National Conference, and to investigation activities has also been included. The ultimate goal of the proposed initiative is to address the high number of sexually motivated cold cases in Broward County to help ensure a safer community and provide closure for the victims and survivors.