BJA FY 15 Sexual Assault Kit Initiative: National Training and Technical Assistance

The purpose of the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) National Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program will provide direct assistance to jurisdictions that receive funding through the SAKI program and to provide targeted TTA in support of their initiatives. This direct assistance may include, but is not limited to: - Instruction for law enforcement personnel regarding the benefits and use of forensic evidence, including protocols for sending cases to the lab for analysis; - Training for law enforcement, first responders, 911 operators and other relevant actors in relation to sexual assault evidence collection, DNA technology, victim behavior and the neurobiology of trauma, and other related topics to improve the quality and outcomes of sexual assault investigations, prosecutions and victim experiences; - Training to improve investigative and prosecutorial practices when forensic sexual assault evidence is available; - Training to optimize victim notification protocols and techniques as well as follow-up support for victims; - Technical assistance to establish specialized cold case or sexual assault investigation units, or response teams, focused on the coordinated community response to untested