Illinois State Police launch sexual-assault kit tracking system
By Christopher Ramos
Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Forensic Services (DFS) has unveiled an online sexual -assault tracking system, known as CheckPoint, to allow sexual- assault survivors to monitor the progress of evidence taken in their cases.
The CheckPoint system is at . It will allow survivors of sexual assault to monitor the status of their evidence throughout the entire process, from collection at the hospital, through law enforcement pick-up and submission to the forensic lab, and ultimately to the state’s attorney’s office where final results are received, according to a news release.
To ensure privacy, the system will use unique case numbers and passwords to limit access to survivors and law enforcement.
“The CheckPoint system will allow survivors to have real-time information about their evidence while protecting their privacy,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “This point-by-point knowledge of the location of their evidence will help to empower survivors and foster public trust in the system. ISP DFS personnel remain committed to supporting survivors of sexual assault through transparency and accountability.”
Currently, any survivor of sexual assault who seeks a forensic medical exam at a health-care facility that has implemented the CheckPoint system can track the progress of their evidence in the system. Of the health care facilities that offer sexual assault treatment plans, 86% have submitted user agreements to ISP to use the CheckPoint system.
“The Illinois State Police’s development of the CheckPoint system is a critical step toward the shared goal of prompt data analysis that reduces the amount of time sexual assault victims spend in limbo awaiting results,” said Carrie Ward, executive director of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
“We believe the continued effort to eliminate the backlog of evidence will lead to more perpetrators being arrested and more victims receiving justice as they recover from sexual assault.”
At the end of its fiscal year 2020, the ISP completed 6006 assignments on evidence that was submitted for the offense of sexual assault or sexual abuse.
As reported in the year’s DNA Accountability Report () in the biology section submissions are up 9% from 2019, the backlog is down by 40% from March 2019, and assignments completed are up 47% from FY 19. This includes offenses such as sexual assault, robbery and homicide.
