WiSAKI Frequently Asked Questions

The Wisconsin Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (WiSAKI) is a statewide effort to address the accumulation of unsubmitted sexual assault kits (SAKs) in the possession of local law enforcement agencies and hospitals. Initiated by the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Response Team (AG SART) and led by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ), WiSAKI is a collaborative effort among law enforcement, victim advocates, sexual assault nurse examiners, prosecutors, health care systems, and the Wisconsin State Crime Lab (WSCL).  

An unsubmitted sexual assault kit is a sexual assault kit that has not been submitted to a forensic laboratory for testing and analysis using Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) eligible DNA methodologies. For more information about CODIS, click here.

WiSAKI conducted a detailed, statewide inventory of every unsubmitted sexual assault kit in the possession of law enforcement agencies and hospitals across the state. After a year of collecting case-specific information from all of Wisconsin’s 557 law enforcement agencies and every hospital that conducts forensic exams, DOJ was able to report to BJA that there were approximately 6,300 sexual assault kits around the state. Data about kits inventoried and which kits will be tested can be found on the Data & Results page.

While most of the previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits (SAKs) will be tested, the WiSAKI project's victim centered approach has meant there are certain circumstances in which the SAKs are not currently designated for testing. To learn more about those reasons and the breakdown click here.