‘It gives back their control’: New rape kit tracking system in S.C. set to launch in mid-December

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - The State Law Enforcement Division is getting ready to launch a new tracking system for sexual assault kits after state officials signed it into law in 2020.

In the coming months, SLED and InVita Healthcare Technology will be testing out the statewide system. It allows survivors, medical facilities, and any person or agency that collects evidence from sexual assault kits to track the status of the kit.

State officials actually signed it into law back in 2020 and took several years to develop this system.

It provides a code, that victims can follow anonymously, throughout the DNA testing process.

Leigh Waller leads the sex crimes unit at the 15th Circuit Solicitor’s Office. She said rape kits have played a pivotal role in the thousands of cases she’s prosecuted.

“They’re crucial most of the time in helping us prove the identity of an attacker, or in proving that an attack occurred,” she said.

That’s why she’s an advocate for a new system. Allowing abuse survivors, medical facilities, and law enforcement to track the status of rape kits, which can take anywhere between six months to a year to process.

The new system will grant some peace of mind to victims who may feel like their case is stuck in limbo.

of the state’s Victim Assistance Network also claim the system will keep those who process evidence honest and potentially deliver better results in court for sexual assault survivors.

The South Carolina Victim Assistance Network said the regional pilot system will launch in mid-December, while the full system will launch across the state in February.

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