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  • February 18, 2025
Cumberland County wins grant to provide sexual assault detection kits at every local police station

Cumberland County wins grant to provide sexual assault detection kits at every local police station

CUMBERLAND, Maine (WMTW) – The Cumberland County District Attorney has been awarded a nearly $2.5 million grant to create a tracking system for sexual assault kits and create an inventory of untested kits which are located in police evidence lockers in every department in the province.

The grant, provided by the Department of Justice, is part of the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, a program to improve sexual assault investigations by implementing reforms to sexual assault kits.

Maine is considered last in the nation when it comes to adopting best practices for handling sexual assault evidence. Because Maine does not maintain sexual assault kits, most victims remain in the dark about where their evidence package is and whether it has been tested.

Previous attempts at a the statewide tracking system has failed. Although a pilot project is underway in a few select locations in Kennebec and Penobscot counties, this would be the first inventory and tracking program implemented nationwide.

Public prosecutor Jacqueline Sartoris previously told to 8 Investigates she estimates there are a few hundred untested kits sitting in Cumberland County police stations.