S.C. launches rape kit tracking but fails again to meet goal
COLUMBIA, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Law enforcement agencies in South Carolina are beginning to use a system for tracking rape kits – more than three years after a law was ed requiring it.
A FOX Carolina investigation in 2023 revealed the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) had not yet launched the tracking system, which all agencies that handle rape kits were legally required to be using no later than June 2022.
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For survivors of sexual assault, going through the process of having a rape kit collected is invasive and re-traumatizing. Afterward, many don’t know when or if the evidence is ever tested.
We filed more than 50 public records requests, confirming over 3,000 untested rape kits sitting on shelves in evidence storage and labs across the state last year.
SLED did not grant FOX Carolina’s repeated requests for an interview about the delayed tracking system or tour of the state crime lab. A letter sent to lawmakers in July said SLED hoped to have the system, Track-Kit, implemented statewide by the end of 2023.
“Following the anticipated successful rollout of the pilot program, SLED remains optimistic that the system will be fully implemented statewide within this calendar year,” SLED Chief Mark Keel wrote.
As of January, the system has still not been implemented statewide but the rollout is in progress.
FOX Carolina asked SLED for confirmation on the pilot program launch and new timeline. We received the following message: “More information on this topic will be available in the future.”
Sources confirmed to FOX Carolina that the Track-Kit pilot program launched in the Pee Dee region of the state in December. We reached out to dozens of law enforcement agencies in the Pee Dee to ask if they have started using Track-Kit.
A spokesperson for the Florence Police Department said the agency is believed to be the first to start using Track-Kit in December. The Florence County Sheriff’s Office confirmed its evidence technicians have been trained by SLED and are now using the system.
North Myrtle Beach Police Department, Latta Police Department, Scranton Police Department and Hemingway Police Department also confirmed they have ed the program. Georgetown Police Department said they are scheduled to begin training on Track-Kit in early February.
Pageland Police Department confirmed officers have access to Track-Kit but have not collected any sexual assault kits since its implementation to see how it works. A spokesperson for the agency said they do not know yet if older kits will be added to the system.
Track-Kit will continue to be rolled out by region and SLED is reportedly now on schedule to have the system fully implemented by mid-February.
SLED’s semiannual update on the system is due to the Governor and General Assembly in two weeks. Stay with FOX Carolina for updates on this developing story.
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