This grant seeks funding to continue to improve the saki model in new orleans

The Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office (OPDA) received a $1.4 million Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance under the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI, CFDA# 16.833) program. The grant funding will be used to continue improving OPDA's SAKI program in New Orleans, Louisiana. Key initiatives include: screening and prosecuting cold case and DNA database hit sexual assault cases, entering all qualifying cases into VICAP, and creating a VICAP lead position within the SAKI unit. The grant will also support bringing victims to New Orleans for trial, conducting interviews with victims and witnesses, and perpetuating testimony for ill victims and witnesses unable to attend trial. This funding is intended to help OPDA build upon its current SAKI program and vertical prosecution unit to address the complex nature of many sexual assault cases handled by the office, which often involve multiple victims and extensive criminal histories. The grant period runs from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2026.

Although new orleans has made strides in policy and practice, the orleans parish district attorneys office (OPDA) needs further support to continue and build upon the current program and vertical prosecution unit (VPU). Most of the cases reviewed by the OPDA saki unit have multiple victims and charges associated with them. Many defendants prosecuted by OPDA saki have extensive criminal histories that require intensive investigation, resulting in the state interviewing and producing multiple victims of and witnesses to additional crimes by the defendant before and during a trial. The orleans parish district attorneys office and the new orleans city council have also worked to implement rapid DNA testing at the orleans criminal justice center, the citys only jail. This rapid testing will mean faster responses from codis and expedited ability to address cases. OPDA saki is preparing for this implementation because IT will increase the number of DNA HIT cases found. The funds from saki purpose area 4 will be used to screen and prosecute cold case and codis HIT sexual assault cases, entering all criteria cases into vicap. OPDA intends to create a vicap lead position within the saki unit who is tasked with ensuring that all criteria cases are entered in a timely manner. Funds will also be used to bring victims to new orleans for trial and, on occasion, take staff to victims and witnesses for interviews in their locations. This will allow the saki unit to establish important relationships with victims and witnesses being asked to relive traumatic events from many years ago. Similarly, OPDA saki is also requesting funds to perpetuate testimony for ILL victims and witnesses who may be unable to attend trial later.