$1.1 million received to process sexual assault kits

A $1.1 million Justice Department grant will provide funds to process over 1,000 of more than 3,000 unprocessed sexual assault kits in possession of law enforcement agencies across the state.

“Alaska has some of the highest rates of sexual assault and domestic violence in the nation,” said Gov. Bill Walker, in announcing the grant on Oct. 4. “We must end this terrible epidemic, and that starts by addressing the thousands of sexual assault kits in the possession of law enforcement.

“We owe it to victims and their families to deliver justice to perpetrators and bring closure to these tragic experiences,” he said.

The three-year grant will allow Alaska State Trooper kits to be assessed at the state crime lab for probative value, and pay for a cold case investigator and prosecuting attorney to focus on cases that result from the review.

An inventory review by the governor’s office and troopers determined there are more than 3,000 unprocessed sexual assault kits in possession of law enforcement agencies across the state.

Approximately 1,000 kits in jurisdictional control of AST will be transferred to the Alaska Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory for processing and potential prosecution. In addition, the University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center will evaluate the kits to identify any consistent factors that could have led investigators to not process them in the first place.
These factors will inform statewide training to all AST detachments, and encourage changes in law enforcement statewide, the governor’s office said.

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