Uniting to Solve Sexual Assault Crimes

With support from the National Institute of Justice, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the state of Nevada teamed up to reduce the backlog of untested sexual assault kits.

In the early 1990s, a University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) law student was asleep in her apartment when she was attacked by an unknown man. She was held at knifepoint and sexually assaulted before her attacker fled.

Police investigated the crime, but were unable to identify a suspect. During the investigation, detectives compiled a sexual assault kit, but that kit was never tested for DNA evidence. It sat in police custody, untested for nearly 25 years, leaving police without a suspect and a victim without any closure.

What Is a Sexual Assault Kit?

A sexual assault kit is the cornerstone of any sexual assault investigation, potentially holding critical DNA evidence for law enforcement. Unfortunately, jurisdictions around the country are grappling with how to address mounting backlogs of untested kits, some dating back to the mid-1980s.

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Differential Sampling of Footwear to Separate Relevant Evidentiary Particles from Background Noise

Authors: David A. Stoney, Paul L. Stoney

Abstract: 

Prior research that has used comparable studies involving a generalized sampling of particles on footwear soles from both contact and recessed areas shows the retention of particles from earlier contacts.

The current study determined that although particles on the contact surfaces of footwear were removed and replaced, particles on the more recessed areas of the sole were not. Three environmental exposure sites were chosen to have different characteristic particle types (soil minerals).

Shoes of two types (work boots and tennis shoes) were tested, accumulating particles by walking 250 m in each environment. Some shoes were exposed to only one environment, and others were exposed to all three in one of six sequences. Sampling methods were developed to separate particles from the contact surface of the shoe based on how tightly they were held to the sole. Project findings have important implications for guiding further research.

Research on differential sampling of footwear should continue, focusing on the difference between particle populations found on contact surfaces and those found on recessed areas of the sole; and research on related computational and statistical methods for objectively interpreting mixtures of particles should continue.

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Department of Justice Releases Promising Policing Strategies to Engage Communities of Color

New toolkit presents practical strategies based on feedback from community members and law enforcement practitioners

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) in partnership with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) today announced the release of a new toolkit that provides resources to help build relationships of trust between law enforcement agencies and communities of color.

Bridging the Trust Gap Between Law Enforcement and Communities of Color Toolkit identifies challenges that often plague law enforcement and communities of color, while offering proven strategies for success in overcoming those challenges and developing communities of trust.

“As this nation continues to grapple with strained relations between law enforcement and communities of color, this toolkit is not only timely but also necessary,” said COPS Office Acting Director Russ Washington. “Developed out of the feedback of community stakeholders, law enforcement executives, and frontline officers, this body of work provides practical and tangible strategies to help law enforcement officers build and maintain trust with the diverse communities they serve.”

The online toolkit is intended to be a resource for officers at all levels – from patrol officers to law enforcement executives – and to community members seeking guidance on ways to engage their local law enforcement. It is organized into four sections:

• Policing for Progress: Examples of initiatives championed by law enforcement agencies in an effort to build and maintain community trust
• Bridging the Trust Gap-Critical Tasks and Responsibilities: Concrete steps for executive-and command--level officers, frontline officers, and community stakeholders to promote communication, partnership, and trust
• Sample Community Surveys: Law enforcement-driven questionnaires to determine the condition of the community, evaluate future needs, and collect information about the public's perception of law enforcement
• IACP and COPS Office Resources: Guides, reports, and other tools

Bridging the Trust Gap Between Law Enforcement and Communities of Color Toolkit is available online here: http://www.theiacp.org/CommunitiesOfColor.

The COPS Office is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, the COPS Office has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 129,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.