CLEVELAND — The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office has been awarded $1 million in grant funding by the United States Department of Justice.
The money will be allocated to the Sexual Assault Kit Task Force (SAKTF), benefit personnel staffing, victim advocacy and research partnerships, training, and other resources, County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley announced in a press release Friday. .
In addition to the previously mentioned allocations, the money, with the help of prior USDOJ funding, will launch the newly formed Genetic Operations Linking DNA (G.O.L.D) Unit.
The unit, made up of investigators, prosecuting attorneys, and victim advocates, will conduct follow-up investigations and review unknown DNA profiles to determine if they may be eligible for additional testing with new technology.
The unit will focus on expanding the SAKTF's investigations to include sexual assault kits submitted from 2012 to 2019, genealogical testing of cold case sexual assaults and cold case sexually-motivated homicides. And lastly, they will continue the Lawfully Owed DNA project.
“We are excited to announce this new unit whose genetically-focused operations will utilize the newest forms of technology to identify violent predators and bring them to long-overdue justice,” said Special Investigations Division Chief Richard Bell. “These horrific cases forever change victims’ lives, but it is our hope through this new technology, that we will finally be able to provide a sense of closure for them.”
The funding will also help to cover the costs of a pilot project being executed by the G.O.L.D. Unit. The project allows the Unit to work with a private lab to search for 20 "most wanted" profiles.
The pilot project will also help develop protocols and best practices for future genealogical testing, including that of cold case sexually-motivated homicides.
The SAKTF was assembled in 2013 to address investigative leads that resulted from the testing of previously unsubmitted rape kits primarily between 1993 to 2011. Since its inception, the Task Force has completed 7,026 investigations that have resulted in 817 defendants indictments.
