BJA Grant: National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative for DNA Evidence Resolution and Improved Investigations

Native American tribal governments (federally recognized)
Other:

State law enforcement agencies
Units of local government
Governmental nonlaw enforcement agencies acting as their fiscal agents
Prosecutor’s offices

The following entities are eligible to apply for Purpose Area 2:

Other: Small law enforcement agencies or consortia of small law enforcement agencies

The following entities are eligible to apply for Purpose Areas 5 and 6:

Other: Existing and/or previous SAKI grantees that have addressed their unsubmitted kits and have clearly demonstrated they have also addressed the downstream case activities under SAKI (investigation, prosecution) for at least 75 percent of their cases.

For the purposes of this solicitation, "small law enforcement agencies" are defined as agencies that have fewer than 250 sworn officers or a consortia of small agencies.

With this solicitation, BJA seeks to support the Department’s priorities of reducing violent crime and supporting law enforcement officers and prosecutors by:

1. Providing jurisdictions (including rural and tribal) with resources to address sexual assault kits (SAKs) in their custody that have not been submitted to a forensic laboratory for testing by Combined DNA Index System (CODIS)-eligible DNA methodologies.

2. Improving investigations and prosecutions in connection with evidence and cases resulting from the SAK testing process as well as other violent crime cold cases.

3. Providing sites with resources to collect DNA samples from qualifying individuals who should have a sample in CODIS (based on the type and time of the offense in relation to applicable state law) but from whom a sample has never been collected or submitted to a laboratory for testing.

In addition to addressing unsubmitted SAKs, the National Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) addresses partially tested SAKs, as defined below, and untested evidence associated with sexually motivated homicides. This program is not directed at untested kits that have been submitted to forensic labs for testing with CODIS-eligible DNA methodologies but are delayed for testing longer than 30 days; for example, as a result of a laboratory backlog. A separate program addresses laboratory backlogs and capacity. For more information on resources related to untested kits, see: https://bja.ojp.gov/program/forensic-science-programs.