PHOENIX — The Phoenix Police Department has launched an easier way to track developments involving sexual assault kits (SAK).
On Tuesday, the department announced it has added SAK tracking to its Community Connect Victim Information Portal.
Through the portal, survivors of sexual crimes in Phoenix can follow developments in their case and track the status of their kits as it is processed and entered as evidence.
Phoenix PD officials say the expansion of the portal makes it easier for survivors to see where their SAK is in the testing and investigative process without having to contact a detective about the case.
“We are using technology to our advantage,” said Assistant Chief of Investigations Ed DeCastro. “The City has leveraged CommunityConnect to give victims a way to see where their case is in the investigative process. This will really help make sure the survivor has ownership of a piece of them.”
The initial portal launched in August of last year, along with automatic alerts and updates about arrests via text or email. The expansion of the portal comes as the City of Phoenix rolled out its annual "Let's Talk Teal" campaign as part of April's Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Since adopting the “test all” policy for testing SAKs in 2016, Phoenix PD has completed more than 7,000 SAKs and reduced the backlog of untested SAKs, according to a news release.
SAK numbers are regularly updated on the City Manager’s Performance Dashboard.
