Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force
What is the Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force?
The Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force is a multidisciplinary group of forensic scientists, investigators, victim advocates, prosecutors and other criminal justice partners dedicated to the testing, investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases arising from previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits (SAKs) in Cuyahoga County. Nearly 5,000 SAKs collected between 1993 and 2010 are being reexamined as a result of these efforts.
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What is a Rape Kit?
The video below was produced by The Plain Dealer to explain what a rape kit is and how it is used to investigate and prosecute cases of sexual assault.
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Mission and Purpose
The Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force is committed to investigating and prosecuting sexual assault cases arising from previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits within the jurisdiction. In doing so, the Task Force will examine the systemic factors that led to a backlog of sexual assault kits, develop and utilize evidence-based best practices, and collaborate locally, with other jurisdictions and with survivors of sexual assault to improve the manner in which sexual assault cases are addressed in Cuyahoga County and across the country.
The work of the Task Force has proven that perpetrators of sexual violence in Cuyahoga County often go on to commit subsequent crimes, including additional sexual assaults. The successful pursuit and prosecution of these predators not only will vastly improve public safety, but also will help make strides toward rebuilding trust in the criminal justice system, especially among survivors of these crimes who have waited years for their cases to be resolved.
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In May 2011, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine invited law enforcement agencies across the state to submit for testing any sexual assault kits, regardless of age, that had been collected but never tested for DNA. The Cleveland Division of Police conducted an inventory in response to this invitation and eventually submitted nearly 5,000 previously untested kits that had been collected between 1993 and 2010. The Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force was established in 2013 by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office in order to investigate and prosecute a growing volume of previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits that had been tested.
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Members of the Task Force
Members of the Task Force include:
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In addition to having numerous detectives, investigators and other personnel assigned to the Task Force from its partner agencies, The Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force receives generous financial support through the following entities:
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The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office was awarded $1.9 million in October 2015 (for a three-year project period) to fund additional personnel to support prosecution and victim advocacy, as well as for training and materials development and program evaluation. Learn more.
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The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office was awarded $450,000 in early 2015 to fund six additional investigators to support investigations of cold case sexual assaults reopened through the Task Force. Learn more.
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Since 2014, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office has received Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) funding as a sub-grant through the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services to partially fund the position of one Sexual Assault Victim Advocate to provide advocacy services to survivors.
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