Local agencies help clear sexual assault test backlog

Oct. 22—Northwest Missouri law enforcement agencies and health care providers are being recognized for their work on sexual assault cases.

Three law enforcement agencies and one medical facility in Buchanan County received a Community Partner Award for their help with the Attorney General's Safe Kits Initiative, which assists with clearing a backlog of untested sexual assault evidence.

The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office, Missouri Western Department of Safety, St. Joseph Police Department and Mosaic Life Care were recipients of the award.

"We want to recognize our partners who have assisted in clearing the backlog of untested sexual assault kits throughout the state. These recipients and their efforts are vital to achieving justice for every victim of an unspeakable crime," said Attorney General Andrew Bailey in a news release. "We would not have made it this far without them."

The Attorney General's SAFE Kits Initiative has been a part of the national sexual assault kit initiative since 2018. A partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice provides resources to help state and local governments count and test kits used to collect forensic evidence of sexual assault.

The kits usually are administered by hospitals and health care providers and contain swabs of evidence from various parts of the victim's body and bags to collect fingernail and hair samples from the victim. Once the evidence is collected, the victim can decide to complete a police report to initiate a criminal investigation.

After testing a kit, law enforcement agencies can upload DNA profiles into a national database for a better chance of investigating and prosecuting cases.

Missouri received two three-year grants from the initiative, one in 2018 and the second in 2020. The attorney general's office identified 7,019 sexual assault kits using the 2018 grant, according to the inventory report from 2019. Law enforcement agencies held 5,670 kits, nearly 81%, and health care providers held 1,089 kits, 15.5%. Organizations such as nonprofits and prisons held 260 kits, 3.7%.

Using the 2020 grant, the Attorney General's office located another 12,182 sexual assault kits in the state. Law enforcement agencies held 11,491, more than 98%, and health care providers held 241, less than 2%.

The St. Joseph Police Department had 138 kits identified during the 2020 cycle, including three untested kits associated with police reports. The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office had 44 kits, including two that were untested but associated with police reports. Missouri Western Department of Safety had one kit fully tested.

Sheriff Bill Puett said testing furthers the aim of providing justice to victims.

"Sexual assault is a very heinous and violent crime and oftentimes the victim doesn't know their attacker," Puett said. "It's extremely important that we can locate and identify suspects involved in a very significant violent crime like this. We've always taken a leadership role in trying to get those kits in and we appreciate the attorney general's office in making sure this program continues to go forward."

Of the kits tested by the project, the SAFE Kit Initiative staff has recorded three felony convictions, monitors the movement of nine pending criminal cases and is investigating more than 455 DNA hits that match potential suspects.

"This progress would be impossible without great hospitals and law enforcement agencies that serve our area," Bailey said.

Jenna Wilson can be reached at [email protected].