Kentucky is one of the first in the nation to examine the SAFE kit backlog at the state level through the Kentucky SAFE Kit Backlog Research Project. The project placed Kentucky at the forefront of national efforts to respond to the issue of backlogged sexual assault kits.
The Office of Victims Advocacy and Department of Criminal Investigations provided a Sexual Assault Toolkit to support KSP, Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs, local law enforcement, prosecutors and victim advocates across the state in the implementation of the Safe Act.
The passage of the Safe Act in 2016, guaranteed the submission of all SAFE kits, required law enforcement to receive training to conduct victim-centered sexual assault investigations and established timelines for testing kits.