Just two weeks after he announced his SAFE Kit initiative to eliminate the backlog of untested sexual assault kits, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt presented the Law Enforcement Community Partner Award to Atchison County Sheriff Dennis Martin and other law enforcement officials for completing 100% of their inventory of untested sexual assault kits. “In order to clear out the backlog of untested sexual assault kits in Missouri through the SAFE Kit initiative, cooperation from law enforcement is absolutely essential,” said AG Schmitt. “Numerous counties and jurisdictions have been more than helpful in ensuring the success of this initiative. I want to thank them for their cooperation and I look forward to working with law enforcement across the state in the coming months.”

Attorney General Schmitt launched his SAFE Kit initiative February 27 and appointed Judge M. Keithley Williams to spearhead the initiative. Since then, Judge Williams has worked tirelessly with law enforcement, healthcare officials, victim advocates, and more to effectively address the backlog of untested sexual assault kits in Missouri.

Through their cooperation with Judge Williams and the Attorney General’s Office, various law enforcement agencies have been presented with the Law Enforcement Community Partner award. This means that the county or precinct named in the award has completed 100% of their inventory. In addition to recognizing law enforcement for their cooperation, the Attorney General’s office will also commend hospitals for their cooperation as well with a separate award.

Attorney General Schmitt and Judge Williams also hosted a SAFE Kit multi-disciplinary group on Wednesday. The multi-disciplinary group, or “working group,” met to discuss and provide input on how to best move forward in documenting the backlog of untested sexual assault kits.