ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Floridians who have survived sexual assault and violence have a new tool to keep an eye on their sexual assault evidence collection kits (SAKs) and stay informed on any new leads the kit provides to their case, according to state leaders.
This new soon-to-be statewide online tool was ushered in via a law passed in 2021, known as "Gail's Law." The law had Florida implement a web-based tracking system that allows survivors to monitor where their SAK is and the status of the processing of their kit.
Additionally, the law ensures survivors will be notified if a DNA match with an alleged perpetrator happens.
According to a news release, previous Florida law required law enforcement to submit SAKs to labs within 30 days and create a 120-day mandatory turnaround time for testing.
"Gail's Law" goes further, leaders say, by giving survivors the "power to know the status of their kits throughout the process."
“In 2019, Florida eliminated the backlog of untested sexual assault kits, and today’s announcement is the next, great step forward in supporting victims of sexual assault and empowering survivors to keep track of the evidence in their case as law enforcement and prosecutors fight for justice,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a statement.
The new software is only for survivors to access, the release said, and the chain of custody for all evidence submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) crime laboratories is still maintained by its Laboratory Information Management System.
Right now, only 41 of the Sunshine State's 67 counties currently have access to the database. However, by July 2023, access to the database is expected to go statewide.
In the Tampa Bay area, counties served by the Pinellas County crime laboratory already have access to the database.
“Survivors of sexual assault have traditionally had to wait too long for information about the status of their kits," FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said in a statement. "This new database tracking system will allow them to log into a portal for their kit and determine that status. If the system records a DNA match, they will be notified. Users control when and how they receive alerts and can see when laboratory testing is complete.”
Help is available: Call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 if you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted.