A sexual assault investigative team will work under the Kentucky State Police with help of a grant from Department of Justice.
The 1.5 million-dollar grant will support the transition of the sexual assault investigative team from the Kentucky Attorney General’s office to the Kentucky State Police.
On Wednesday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the team of three investigators and a criminal intelligence analyst will focus on cold cases and investigate sex crimes.
“The sole mission will be to investigate sex crimes with a focus on cold cases where the testing of older rape kits or new DNA gives the possibility for justice where hope has most likely been lost,” Beshear said.
During his time as attorney general, Beshear said the testing of backlogged rape kits lead to the indictments of two accused serial sexual assault offenders.
“And it's why we can never again allow any of these kits to go untested,” he said. “And let's remember that we all know someone because sexual assault is so endemic in Kentucky and across the United States.”
According to the Kentucky Sexual Assault Kit Initiative website, Kentucky does not have a backlog of rape kits. Of the nearly 5,000 kits tested, there have been eight felony convictions.
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