San Mateo County Grand Jury
• 2020-2021
Sexual Assault Kit Testing Reports in San Mateo County:
⚠️ Aviso de traducción: Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 5 findings
F1
Beginning in January 2017, and each year thereafter, the Sheriff’s Office generated a Sexual Assault Kit Testing Report and sent it to the County Manager, with a copy to the Board of Supervisors, detailing select data points in the analysis and testing of sexual assault kits.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Beginning in May 2022, the Sheriff’s Office should adjust the timing of the release of the annual Sexual Assault Kit Testing Report from January to May of each year so that the report reflects complete data from the previous calendar year.
F2
The annual Sexual Assault Kit Testing Report has been released by the Sheriff’s Office too early in the calendar year to comprehensively reflect the status of all of the previous (calendar) year’s sexual assault kits, some of which are shown as “currently in progress” on the report.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Beginning in May 2022, the Sheriff’s Office should expand the content of the annual Sexual Assault Kit Testing Report to include: the total number of sexual assaults in the County as reported to the FBI; the number of sexual assaults in each city as reported to the FBI; and the reasons sexual assault kits were not processed. The information should not include the victims’ information or city of origin and only include the number of kits cancelled by category.
F3
The annual Sexual Assault Kit Testing Report only reports information about sexual assault kits received by the Forensic Laboratory; as a result, it may mislead the reader because the number of kits is only a small subset of how many sexual assaults occur in the County.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
To increase public transparency, the Sheriff’s Office should, commencing no later than May 2022, announce the availability of the annual Sexual Assault Kit Testing Report in a manner designed to maximize public awareness.
F4
The prior Grand Jury’s recommendation to include the originating agency or the reason a sexual assault kit was not tested has not been part of the Sheriff’s Office report.
No recommendations for this finding
F5
The annual Sexual Assault Kit Testing Reports were added to the Forensic Laboratory’s webpage in December 2020, during the Grand Jury inquiry. 35 “(The Sheriff’s Office) provides contract law enforcement services for the cities of Half Moon Bay, Millbrae, San Carlos, Eichler Highlands, the towns of Portola Valley and Woodside, as well as for the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board and the San Mateo County Transit District,” https://www.smcsheriff.com/patrol-services 36 See
No recommendations for this finding
No Responses Found 1
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
San Mateo County Sheriff
Elected County Office