NCJ Number
251620
Date Published
October 2017
Length
1 page
Annotation
The federal Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) presents a flow chart that depicts a model procedure for the sexual assault kit (SAK) testing process.
Abstract
First, the law enforcement agency submits the SAK to a crime laboratory, which then acknowledges receipt of the particular SAK. The crime laboratory then conducts a technical review of SAK data. Separate procedures are shown for when a DNA profile is obtained from the SAK and when it is not. When a DNA profile is not obtained, the law enforcement agency is notified, which then uses the agency victim notification protocol to inform the victim of this result. When a DNA profile is obtained, the crime laboratory confirms its eligibility for the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). If a CODIS ineligible profile is obtained, the law enforcement agency is notified, which then refers this information to the agency's victim notification protocol. When a DNA profile is eligible for CODIS, it is uploaded to CODIS, which may yield either a hit or no immediate hit. If there is no immediate hit, police are notified for use of agency victim notification protocol. When a hit on a named offender is obtained through CODIS, the case investigator is notified and this information is then referred for victim notification. If the DNA match from CODIS is from another crime scene without a named offender, the case investigator is notified, and this information is then referred for victim notification. A glossary is provided to explain terms used in the flow chart.