(COLUMBUS, Ohio) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced today that DNA testing conducted as part of his Sexual Assault Kit (SAK) Testing Initiative has now resulted in more than 1,000 hits in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database.
As of April 1, 2014, a total of 1,104 DNA profiles extracted from previously untested rape kits have matched DNA profiles already in the CODIS database. More than 100 of the hits were obtained in the past month.
"April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which is aimed at educating communities about sexual assault and how to prevent assaults from happening," said Attorney General DeWine. "We hope the success of the Sexual Assault Kit Testing Initiative will also help prevent future assaults because it proves how hard it is for an attacker to get away without leaving DNA behind."
Attorney General DeWine announced the SAK Testing Initiative in 2011 by offering free DNA testing to any law enforcement agency with untested rape kits in which a crime was believed to have been committed.
Once a hit in the CODIS database is received, the potential suspect information is returned to the submitting local law enforcement agency to determine if the new evidence could further their investigation. In Cuyahoga County alone, nearly 100 indictments have resulted as a direct result of the SAK Testing Initiative.
Since the announcement, 125 law enforcement agencies have submitted 6,437 previously untested kits for testing, of which nearly 600 of those kits were submitted in the past month. Testing officially began in 2012, with testing on 3,244 kits now complete.
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Media Contacts:
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Jill Del Greco: 614-466-3840