State Police to announce statewide sexual assault initiative

Idaho State Police has received $250,000 in federal grants to improve the way sexual assault evidence is collected and processed throughout the state. The agency plans to standardize the way that evidence is collected and processed.

The Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors (STOP) Violence Against Women Grant will be used to hire a person to provide statewide training to sexual assault nurse examiners and coordinate community sexual assault response teams.

The grant will also provide evidence collection facilities with adequate equipment and supplies for that purpose.

Idaho State Police is collaborating with numerous government and community partners to help meet the standards of aggressive laws to test and retain sexual assault kits and implement the nation’s first fully functional statewide sexual assault kit tracking system.

Bingham Memorial Hospital in Blackfoot is among the first hospitals to sign on to the program.

A formal announcement of the plan is scheduled Thursday in Boise.