Survivors of sexual crimes in Phoenix will have a new way to follow developments in their case as well as the status of their sexual assault kit as it is processed and entered as evidence.
The Phoenix Police Department just added sexual assault kit (SAK) tracking to its CommunityConnect Victim Information Portal.
The expansion of the portal makes it easy for sexual assault survivors to see where their SAK is in the testing and investigative process any time of day without having to contact a detective about their case.
“We are using technology to our advantage,” said Assistant Chief of Investigations Ed DeCastro. “The City has leveraged CommunityConnect to give victims a way to see where their case is in the investigative process. This will really help make sure the survivor has ownership of a piece of them.”
The Victim Information Portal launched in August 2024 to provide 24/7 access to information to survivors about their case, along with automatic alerts and updates regarding arrests sent via text or email. The expansion of the portal comes as the City works to raise awareness of sexual violence and its impact on survivors as part of the “Let’s Talk Teal” campaign which happens each year in April as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Chief DeCastro and Victim Services Supervisor Michelle DeAlba appeared on the Police Department’s 5-0 Info Show podcast to talk about this and the enhancements to the Victim’s Rights Portal.
Since adopting the “test all” policy for testing SAKs in 2016, the Phoenix Police Department has completed more than 7,000 SAKs and has made significant progress in reducing the backlog of untested SAKs.
SAK numbers are regularly updated on the City Manager’s Performance Dashboard.
In addition to the CommunityConnect tool, the Phoenix Police Department is working toward implementation of the statewide Track-Kit program which has received support from the Arizona State Legislature. It’s expected to be available later this year.
