The Minnesota Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Project (SAKI) is a collaborative effort to address previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits (SAKs) in Minnesota. 

Through a $2 million grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) in 2018 and subsequent grants in 2019 ​ and 2020, Minnesota was able to test the SAKs, gain insight into the nature and extent of the challenges regarding the collection and processing of SAKs, and provide critical information for policy and programmatic interventions to improve the statewide response to sexual assault.

The funds from the two grants supported the following efforts:

• Testing previously unsubmitted SAKs reported in the 2015 sexual assault kit inventory.
• Collecting and evaluating data related to kit screening, testing outcomes and any investigation and prosecution of these cases.
• Coordinating efforts among the project partners and other stakeholders.
• Developing protocols for sexual assault kit processing, investigation and cold case victim advocacy and notification.

Under the project, sexual assault kits from Anoka County Sheriff’s Office were reviewed and tested first, with a dedicated investigator to investigate these cases. A dedicated SAKI victim advocate from Alexandra House provided services and support to Anoka County sexual assault victims in cases related to previously unsubmitted SAKs. 

All testing was done through the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).

Partners

The project partners include the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office​, Anoka County Attorney's Office, Alexandra House and the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault. 

The project partners and numerous stakeholders coordinated their work through the SAKI Multidisciplinary Team lead by the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

​This project was supported by Grant No. 2018-AK-BX-0019, 2019-AK-BX-0018 and 2020-AK-BX-0008 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.