The Chillicothe Police Department has announced that it received a Community Partnership Award from Attorney General Andrew Bailey. The award recognizes the department’s successful cooperation in Phase 3 of the SAFE Kit Initiative Project for the year 2023.
A statement from the Chillicothe Police Department says that officers and administrative staff take this project seriously and are committed to successful prosecution and evidence storage for victims of crime.
In partnership with patrol officers and detectives, the Chillicothe Police Department has formed a new evidence team that has tackled this project. The team has been honored with an award for its exemplary work and pledges to continue focusing on this area.
In 2019, the Attorney General’s Office launched the SAFE Kit Initiative to inventory, test, and track the state’s high number of untested sexual assault kits. The ultimate goal is to clear the state’s backlog and obtain justice for victims. Of the more than 5,246 untested, reported sexual assault kits identified for testing, nearly 4,476 have been submitted to private labs for DNA testing. The remaining kits will be tested using federal grant money.
The SAFE Kit Initiative has received more than 400 combined DNA Index System hits, leading to three felony convictions in Missouri. More than ten cases are currently pending within the court system.
