The City of Flint Police Department Sexual Assault Kit Initiative

The National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) provides funding to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, and prosecutors offices to support multidisciplinary community response teams engaged in the comprehensive reform of jurisdictions approaches to sexual assault cases resulting from evidence found in previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits (SAKs) - i.e. those SAKs that have never been submitted to a crime laboratory. The goal of the SAKI is the creation of a coordinated community response that ensures just resolution to these cases whenever possible through a victim-centered approach, as well as to build jurisdictions capacity to prevent the development of conditions that lead to high numbers of unsubmitted SAKs in the future. The holistic program provides jurisdictions with resources to address their unsubmitted SAK issue, including support to inventory, test, and track SAKs; create and report performance metrics; access necessary training to increase effectiveness in addressing the complex issues associated with these cases and engage in multidisciplinary policy development, implementation, and coordination; and improve practices related to investigation, prosecution, and victim engagement and support in connection with evidence and cases resulting from the testing process. The city of Flint Police Department will use this 2015 SAKI award to provide a holistic approach to solving the problem of backlogged untested SAKs and to ensure that backlogs dont occur in the future. BJA SAKI funds will be used to inventory untested SAKs; fund two police investigators to handle the criminal investigations for each kit based on SAK analysis, a dedicated prosecutor for the Genesee County Prosecutors Office to prosecute sexual assault cases, hire a sexual assault advocate through YWCA of Flint to serve victims of sexual assaults, and a property clerk to work with investigators and prosecutor on the inventory of SAKs; fund travel and training expenses; fund expenses associated with expert witnesses; purchase supplies; and fund other expenses necessary for project implementation. CA/NCF

The National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) provides funding to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, and prosecutor’s offices to support multidisciplinary community response teams engaged in the comprehensive reform of jurisdictions’ approaches to sexual assault cases resulting from evidence found in previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits (SAKs) - i.e. those SAKs that have never been submitted to a crime laboratory.

The goal of the SAKI is the creation of a coordinated community response that ensures just resolution to these cases whenever possible through a victim-centered approach, as well as to build jurisdictions’ capacity to prevent the development of conditions that lead to high numbers of unsubmitted SAKs in the future. The holistic program provides jurisdictions with resources to address their unsubmitted SAK issue, including support to inventory, test, and track SAKs; create and report performance metrics; access necessary training to increase effectiveness in addressing the complex issues associated with these cases and engage in multidisciplinary policy development, implementation, and coordination; and improve practices related to investigation, prosecution, and victim engagement and support in connection with evidence and cases resulting from the testing process.

The city of Flint Police Department will use this 2015 SAKI award to provide a holistic approach to solving the problem of backlogged untested SAKs and to ensure that backlogs don’t occur in the future. BJA SAKI funds will be used to inventory untested SAKs; fund two police investigators to handle the criminal investigations for each kit based on SAK analysis, a dedicated prosecutor for the Genesee County Prosecutor’s Office to prosecute sexual assault cases, hire a sexual assault advocate through YWCA of Flint to serve victims of sexual assaults, and a property clerk to work with investigators and prosecutor on the inventory of SAKs; fund travel and training expenses; fund expenses associated with expert witnesses; purchase supplies; and fund other expenses necessary for project implementation.

CA/NCF