Sexual assault kit tracking system; help for Wisconsin survivors
MILWAUKEE - For years, sexual assault kits piled up in Wisconsin – going untested and leaving survivors in the dark. But a new program state leaders are launching hopes to stop the backlog.
Sexual assault survivors and the people who treat them say it takes courage just to take the first step – making it that much worse when closure is delayed.
"We would have people calling us, two weeks after their assault saying, ‘Where is my kit?’ And we’re like, ‘I don’t know,’" said Sharain Horn, Vice President of Well Community at Advocate Aurora Health.
Sharain Horn
Sexual assault kits contain DNA evidence that could help police track down rapists. But a backlog of thousands going back years left survivors without answers.
"With this new process, it is a different level of transparency," Horn said.
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Now, there is a statewide system called "Track-Kit." Survivors can see where their kits are – and where they are heading next.
"While the evidence kit is a very important piece of the investigation, that evidence kit represents a person, a human being, a survivor that is simply seeking justice," said Susie Kanack, DOJ Forensic Nursing Coordinator.
Susie Kanack
From the moment a sexual assault kit is created, the survivor gets a bar code – with no personal information stored in the system. Survivors and law enforcement can now ensure a kit is not sitting at a hospital or in an evidence room.
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"Track-Kit is in place right now. If a survivor has a sexual assault kit collected, they are receiving bar codes around the state," said Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul
New laws sign late in 2021 provide guidelines for sexual assault kit collection, testing, and retaining. The goal is to built trust in the system – making it a little easier for survivors to get help.
Attorney General Kaul said all the kits identified in the backlog have since been tested. Local hospital systems say the implementation of the tracking program is going well.