BCA rolls out new sexual assault test kit tracking program

Sexual assault victim survivors in Minnesota now have better access to information about their case, thanks to a new sexual assault kit tracking program.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says they have completed the deployment of the Track-Kit system, which provides victim survivors with 24/7 online access to information about the status of their kit.

The goal of this system is to increase accountability and transparency, in what can be a lengthy process.

"The BCA stands with Minnesota’s victim survivors. We hope the Track-Kit system relieves uncertainty and gives comfort with the knowledge of exactly where their kit stands in the testing process," said BCA Superintendent Drew Evans.

Here’s how it works: Track-Kit uses a barcode system to update information about a kit’s status and location in real time. The medical facility that collects the kit creates the record, by scanning the kit’s barcode into the system. Law enforcement updates the status when the kit is sent for testing to an accredited forensic laboratory in the state. The forensics lab updates the status again when it receives the kit and when testing is complete. At any time, a victim survivor can use their unique login and password to see the status of their kit.

The new Track-Kit system applies to both restricted kits, where the victim survivor does not consent to testing, and unrestricted kits, which the victim survivor agrees to have tested. All restricted kits are stored at the BCA. If a victim survivor with a restricted kit decides to change its listing to unrestricted, their kit’s status will reflect that change.

The BCA deployed Track-Kit across the state region by region over a three-month period. The first region in Minnesota’s Arrowhead went live on April 5.