Lt. Gov. Austin Davis speaking at a press conference on Pennsylvania receiving $2.5 million to establish a statewide sexual assault tracking system on Jan 27, 2025. (Photo: Commonwealth Media Services)
Abuse survivors in Pennsylvania will soon have the ability to electronically track their untested rape kits. Pennsylvania is one of ten states throughout the country without a tracking system for untested kits.
Pennsylvania is set to receive $2.5 million in federal funding from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in order to establish a statewide sexual assault kit tracking system.
The funds were awarded to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).
“Rape and sexual assault is about power – attackers want to take away their victims’ power and dignity, their feeling of safety and security,” Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, who serves as the chair of PCCD, said in a statement.
“As leaders, we need to do everything we can to help victims feel safe and whole again. If a victim is able to summon the strength to go through the process of getting a sexual assault examination and file a police report, they deserve to know their rape kit is being handled with care and attention, that their case is a priority.”
Pennsylvania lawmakers passed Senate Bill 920, which was sponsored by State Sen. Wayne Langerholc (R-Cambria) and required the establishment of an electronic statewide sexual assault tracking system. This allows survivors to monitor the status of their rape kits throughout the testing process.
Former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale helped reduce a backlog of untested rape kits by 90% by 2019. The Auditor General’s office discovered more than 3,200 untested kits and reduced the number to 339 kits, which impacted 65 open cases in Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania is one of ten states in the country that does not have an active system for allowing survivors to track their untested rape kits. Having a system in place can prevent backlogs and delays, and speed up the justice process.
“If we can track Amazon packages, airline flights, and Starlink satellites, there should be no issue with ensuring survivors can access and track the status of their sexual assault evidence kits and give them control in their fight for justice,” Senator Katie Muth (D-Montgomery) said in a statement.
“[This] announcement of federal grant funding to finally establish a statewide rape kit tracking system in Pennsylvania is a sign of progress and a sign that the voices of survivors and their advocates are being heard in Harrisburg.”
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