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Displaying News and Event Items: 761 - 770 of 816.
Eight arrests made from latest rape kit backlog tests
— Christy Wilcox, Las Vegas News, Dec 17, 2016
As a result of federal CODIS DNA hits, Las Vegas metro police have arrested eight sexual predators. This comes after 473 kits were analyzed as part of Nevada’s grant funding to end the backlog of rape kits in the state. Notably, Nevada is one of only three sites to receive federal grant money 2 years in a row. To learn more about Nevada’s efforts to address the SAK backlog, read the full article and watch the associated video.
Rape survivor, exoneree credit testing of old DNA samples with solving cases
— Naheed Rajwani, Dallas News, Dec 15, 2016
Victims of rape and unlawful imprisonment gathered together in support of a bill that would renew the federal program that gives law enforcement agencies funding to test backlogged sexual assault kits. This bill would allow Dallas, Texas police to test SAKs that were collected from 1996 to 2011. Officials noted the importance in testing SAKs, especially to catch serial perpetrators. To learn more, read the full article.
Santa Fe PD is ahead in processing rape kits—because they already cleaned out a freezer full of them
— Elizabeth Miller, Santa Fe Reporter, Dec 14, 2016
In January 2014, officers at the Santa Fe Police Department began processing 313 sexual assault evidence kits, the results of which have already helped to solve cases. New Mexico has been awarded a federal grant to assist public safety personnel in processing old kits and developing a system to track new kits and send them to a lab for processing in a timely manner. To learn more, read the full article.
Audit points to causes of New Mexico's rape kit backlog
— Susan Montoya Bryan, AP The Big Story, Dec 6, 2016
A recent audit in New Mexico noted that the state leads the nation in untested rape kits per capita, and that one-fifth of the SAKs were untested. New Mexico’s federal grant award will help the state test these backlogged SAKs and develop a tracking system for future SAKs. For more information on New Mexico’s backlog, read the full article.
Familial-DNA testing used for first time in Ohio in suspected serial-abductor case: Q&A
— Adam Ferrise, Cleveland.com, Dec 5, 2016
Familial DNA testing, used for the first time in Ohio, helped law enforcement to identify and arrest a man accused of serial rape and abduction. Familial DNA can help identify possible male relatives by matching the Y chromosomes, which can, in turn, provide law enforcement with a relative of a criminal suspect. Although police cannot arrest someone based on familial DNA evidence alone, they can use it to retrieve much needed clues. To learn more, read the full article.
Sexual Assault Evidence Kit Report Released
— Big Island Now News of Hawaii, Dec 2, 2016
The Attorney General of Hawaii recently released a report of inventoried, untested sexual assault kits, and a plan to test them. The report outlines untested SAKs within each county and details testing capacity, plans for public outreach, and recommendations for legislative action. Additionally, a working group has established the Malama Kakou Project, a state plan to test untested and new SAKs, identify the criteria for testing and order, provide active public outreach and notification, and establish a SAK tracking system.
Dallas police crack mystery of woman who was raped, strangled 24 years ago
— Tasha Tsiaperas, Dallas News, Nov 29, 2016
For 24 years, Dallas, Texas police had no answers as to who was responsible for the rape and murder of Shirley Baker Muhammad. Now, newly tested DNA evidence points to a 52-year-old man in prison for another victim’s rape. This is the first success from Dallas’ newly formed cold case unit within the Dallas Police Department. The cold case unit comprises a former homicide detective, two former robbery detectives, and a former crime scene analyst. The unit has been cataloging cases, many of which fall between 1995 and 2005, when crime scene analysts started keeping DNA evidence. More DNA hits are forthcoming. To learn more, read the full article.
SAKI TTA Upcoming Fall Webinars
— SAKI Website, Nov 21, 2016
SAKI TTA has two upcoming webinars! On Thursday, October 27th, join us to learn more about how the New Orleans Police Department and their multidisciplinary team came together to reform their response to sexual assault. On Thursday, November 10th, Dr. Rachel Lovell and Prosecutor Brett Kyker will discuss how research findings are being used to inform and reform how sexual assaults are investigated and prosecuted in Cuyahoga County. To register for these upcoming webinars or to view past SAKI webinars, visit our Webinars page.
