In 2015, the Kentucky Legislature passed a resolution requiring a statewide count of untested Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) kits. Following the completion of the count, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office awarded funding to the Kentucky State Police (KSP) Forensic Laboratories to test up to 3,300 previously unsubmitted kits.

In 2016, the Kentucky General Assembly passed the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Act (“SAFE” Act). The law requires all SAFE kits to be tested, establishes deadlines for testing, and mandates policies and training for law enforcement to improve its approach to sexual assault.

In 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)'s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)     through the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI)    awarded the Kentucky Attorney General a $3 million grant to test previously unsubmitted SAFE kits, investigate and prosecute cases, and re-engage survivors. The Attorney General used this funding to create the KY SAKI Cold Case Unit, a team whose efforts are solely dedicated to previously unsubmitted sexual assault evidence kits. While the team is ever-evolving to meet the needs of the SAKI project, its original purpose remains the same: to bring justice to survivors.

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