UMD Center for Ethics and Public Policy presentsPAVSA Panel: Untested Sexual Assault Kits - National Issue, Local Initiative
**Thursday, February 16th 5:00pm‐6:30pm, 185 Life Sciences Bldg** Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault (PAVSA) Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI):
John Barrett, Duluth Police Officer and PAVSA SAKI cold case investigator
Mary Faulkner, PAVSA SAKI Project Coordinator
Sam Madsen, PAVSA SAKI victim advocate
Nate Stumme, Assistant St. Louis County Attorney and SAKI designated prosecutor
The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative is a coordinated effort involving the Duluth Police Department, the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office and PAVSA to address the inventory of unsubmitted sexual assault kits stored at the Duluth Police Department. In 2015, a state‐wide audit conducted by the MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension found that the Duluth Police Department had the largest inventory of kits in the state. The goals of our initiative are: (1) to understand the nature of the inventory, (2) to reduce the inventory through testing and (3) to strengthen policies and protocols to ensure timely testing and trauma‐informed responses to victim‐survivors. The panelists, representing law enforcement, prosecution, and advocacy, will discuss their progress so far and they barriers they face moving forward.
This CEPP Panel made the news and looks to be the beginning of an ongoing coverage of sexual assault in Duluth. See the coverage here.