Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Inventory, Tracking and Reporting Program

The Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence-Inventory, Tracking and Reporting (SAFE-ITR) program grant awarded to Baltimore County Police Department (BCoPD) by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice in 2020 provides BCoPD with funding to:

  • Gain an understanding of the sexual assault kits (SAKs) within the Department’s possession
  • Update and maintain the inventory, tracking and reporting of these kits
  • Promote transparency and accountability on a public platform with funding that allows BCoPD to release 60-day reports relating to SAKs statistics

SEXUAL ASSAULT KIT WORKFLOW

Review the procedures for sexual assault kits below. The turnaround time for testing of a SAK can depend on a variety of factors, including:

  • Collection of exclusionary samples
  • Funding sources
  • Laboratory capacity
  • Survivor advocacy services

A sexual assault is reported and the survivor is encouraged to receive a Sexual Assault Forensic Exam at a designated medical facility by a trained Forensic Nurse Examiner.

If the survivor decides to keep their name confidential, the kit will be labeled as "anonymous" by the Forensic Nurse Examiner and will not undergo testing. The kit will be stored securely by BCoPD for a minimum of 20 years.

BCoPD Forensic Services is notified that a SAK is awaiting pickup at the medical facility. Forensic Services is required to pick up the SAK within 30 days.


 

SAK is secured at the Police Department.

Within 30 days of receipt from the medical facility, a SAK will be designated to be tested or not to be tested. BCoPD personnel review each SAK and make a designation based on specific criteria, which is defined by the Maryland Sexual Assault Evidence Kit Policy and Funding Committee. A victim has the right to request a case review by the Sexual Assault Response Team if they believe the designation is incorrect.

  • When a SAK is designated for DNA testing—It is either sent to an approved laboratory or tested within BCoPD's Biology Unit.
  • When a SAK is designated not to be tested—It will be stored within BCoPD. When a SAK is “anonymous” it will not be tested and will be securely stored. If a SAK is anonymous and the survivor chooses to come forward at any time, a criminal complaint can be filed to request the SAK be tested.

Test results are obtained from the SAK. When a suitable DNA profile foreign to the survivor is obtained, it is uploaded into CODIS (Combined DNA Index System).

Testing results and any CODIS results are kept confidential and issued only to appropriate law enforcement and victim advocate entities.

Tested and untested SAKs will be securely stored in the Evidence Management Unit of BCoPD. They will be stored for a minimum of 20 years, unless the following apply:

  • The case resulted in a conviction and the required sentence has been completed.
  • All suspects identified from forensic testing are deceased.

REPORTS

View the analysis of the number of SAKs in BCoPD's custody during the 60-day reporting periods below.

2024

2023

2022

CONTACT INFORMATION

For more information, email safecoordinator@baltimorecountymd.gov.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Disclaimer: This project was supported by Grant 2020-DN-BX-0011 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.