ATLANTA – A new task force dedicated to investigating and prosecuting sexual assault cold cases has been established in the metro Atlanta area.
The task force will test unsubmitted or untested sexual assault kits taken from a victim after an assault. The goal is to get DNA tested faster through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), along with establishing a victim advocacy group.
“For too long, justice for [sexual assault] victims has been delayed,” said DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston. “This is an important opportunity to collaboratively solve crimes, hold offenders accountable, and, more importantly, demonstrate our commitment to seeking justice for victims of sexual assault.”
Over the last two years, Georgia's Bureau of Investigation has used District Attorney of New York (DANY) grant funds from the agency to test over 2,300 sexual assault test kits. The testing of previously unsubmitted kits resulted in CODIS hits for nearly 240 cases that fall in the jurisdiction of Georgia's test kit partners. Those cases are currently being reviewed, according to the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.
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“The task force allows us to enhance our comprehensive and coordinated efforts and by assisting jurisdictions with the prosecution of cold case sexual assaults, we are holding offenders accountable, and ultimately, making Georgia safer,” said Jay Neal, executive director of the Georgia CJCC.
The metro Atlanta cold case sexual assault task force is the result of a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance and the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.
Last year, CJCC created a resource website to help sexual assault survivors who believe their sexual assault kits may not have been tested.
Survivors can visit notify.svrga.org to get notified about potentially reopened investigations and prosecutions.
