Through a $2.1 million federal grant, the Montana Department of Justice (DOJ) will work to address the state’s repository of untested and partially tested sexual assault kits, helping law enforcement agencies investigate cold cases that have long gone unsolved.
“We will intensify our efforts in solving sexual assault cases and bringing justice to survivors with this new funding, bolstering our Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, employing specialized personnel to investigate crimes, and upgrading evidence storage around the state,” Attorney General Austin Knudsen said in an Oct. 3 press release. “Ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable and survivors can find healing is a top priority as we work to eliminate the rape kit backlog and reinforce our statewide strategy against sexual assault.”
This is the fourth grant awarded to DOJ by the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), a federal Bureau of Justice Assistance program that seeks to “help jurisdictions implement best practices and comprehensive reform to help bring perpetrators to justice and increase safety in communities by preventing future sexual assaults.” Montana is one of eight states nationally to receive SAKI funding through the competitive grant process this year.