This team is strategically positioned to best determine needs, guide strategic planning, make recommendations to multidisciplinary agency leadership, and guide continued growth and improvement of…

The Shelby County District Attorney's Office was awarded a $1,500,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (CFDA 16.833 - National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative) to address the backlog of sexual assault cases, prioritize suspect identification through genealogy, maintain a victim-centered approach, and evaluate investigation and prosecution outcomes. Key activities include completing the investigation of SAK backlog cases, prioritizing John Doe cases for identification through genealogy, communicating with the community on the project and sexual assault prevention, and maintaining a victim-centered approach while evaluating processes and outcomes. The grant funding will also support strategic personnel to assist with investigation, prosecution, and identification through genealogy. The University of Memphis will partner to analyze metrics associated with the investigation and prosecution, as well as examine outcomes related to the genealogy efforts.

This team is strategically positioned to best determine needs, guide strategic planning, make recommendations to multidisciplinary agency leadership, and guide continued growth and improvement of the local SAK initiative. Current priorities are to complete investigation of the SAK backlog cases, prioritize john DOE cases for identification through genealogy, communicate with the community on the project and sexual assault prevention, and maintain a victim-centered approach while evaluating process and outcomes. Memphis seeks to maintain and add strategic personnel to assist with investigation, prosecution, and identification through genealogy. To evaluate, the research partner will analyze metrics associated with investigation and prosecution, as well as examine outcomes associated with genealogy. Metrics of success will be developed based on analyses to relay crucial information to the multidisciplinary task force on an on-going basis.