Hawaii Sexual Assault Kit

With the news having many stories regarding sexual assault of late; I thought this information was important to post for all. This is about Hawaii and understanding the sexual assault kit testing and Project Mālama Kākou.

Project Mālama Kākou
Hawai՝i Sexual Assault Kit Initiative
Thousands of sexual assault kits that were
not tested for DNA have been held in police
department evidence rooms across the
United States, often for years. Recently,
there has been a nationwide movement to
test more kits.
Project Mālama Kākou was created to bring
together a multidisciplinary team to
comprehensively reform the testing of sexual
assault kits in Hawai՝i in a caring and victimcentered
manner.
Hawai՝i police departments have updated
their procedures for the testing of sexual
assault kits. Testing will no longer focus
solely on individual case investigations but
will also be done to assist in the possible
identification of suspects across the country.
Many sexual assault kits that were collected
but not tested in the past will be sent for
analysis. We are strongly committed to this
and to the submission of kits for testing in
reported cases in the future.
Survivors may be concerned about what the
testing of kits means for them. Their
concerns must be handled with sensitivity
and care. To address this need, Project
Mālama Kākou has developed a sensitive
and supportive process for notifying survivors
of any positive outcomes from testing.
Trained professionals will be available to talk
with survivors either over the phone, via email,
or in person.

Understanding Sexual Assault Kit Testing:

What is a “DNA Profile”?
A DNA profile is unique like a fingerprint, but uses a person’s DNA instead of the ridges on their
fingertips. For criminal justice agencies, evidence samples are taken from a crime scene, or in this case
a sexual assault evidence kit (SAK), and tested to see if a DNA profile matches to others in a database
to identify crime perpetrators.
What is CODIS?
The Combined DNA Index System, or “CODIS” is a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) computer
system. Hawaii’s law enforcement agencies, through Hawaii’s State DNA Index System (SDIS) are able
to share their DNA Profiles with the National DNA Index System (NDIS), a national database
containing DNA profiles contributed by forensic labs from across the country.1
What information is in CODIS?
There is no personal identifying information, such as names related to a DNA profile, in CODIS and a
victim’s profile is not uploaded into CODIS. DNA profiles in CODIS are stored, and in Hawaii can be
searched at the state (SDIS) and national level (NDIS). The DNA profiles in the NDIS are divided into
three categories:2
 Forensic Database: DNA profiles of possible perpetrators, developed from crime scene
evidence, such as semen or blood stains. DNA profiles recovered from SAKs belong to this
category.
 Convicted Offender Database: DNA profiles of individuals convicted of certain crimes, such as
felonies.
 Other databases for the identification of missing persons or unidentified human remains.
How is a DNA Profile entered and searched in CODIS?
1. Evidence is sent to a crime laboratory and prepared for initial testing to find out whether DNA
is present.
2. If DNA is present, the crime laboratory determines if the quality is sufficient to produce a DNA
profile.
3. If the DNA profile is obtained, crime analysts must verify that the profile is “CODIS eligible,”
sometimes referred to as “CODIS Ready” (i.e., the profile is good enough to be uploaded into
CODIS).
4. If CODIS eligible, the DNA profile is uploaded to the Hawaii state database (SDIS) and is then
pulled into the national database (NDIS).
5. Once the DNA profile is uploaded, the search can result in:
a. “no immediate match” to any profile in any of the CODIS databases. The DNA profile
will stay in CODIS and be continuously compared to DNA profiles added later.
b. “match” to one or more of the CODIS databases, either the Forensic database or
Convicted Offender database or both.
c. “hit” when a match identifies a possible perpetrator or links to another case. Types of
“hits” include:
i. Forensic Hit: DNA profile matches a DNA profile from another SAK/crime
scene, but does not identify a known person.
ii. Offender Hit: DNA profile matches offender DNA and a possible perpetrator is
identified. There are two types:
a) Cold Hit: possible perpetrator was not known before testing, or
b) Warm Hit: possible perpetrator was known before testing.
6. Match Confirmation: When there is a match between a sample taken directly from the
perpetrator and DNA recovered from the SAK/crime scene.
7. In some cases, the submission of just one DNA profile can result in multiple matches in the
separate NDIS databases (Forensic or Offender).
The HI‐SAKI Multi‐Disciplinary Team, as specified in the SAKI federal grant, only counts a match which
identifies a possible perpetrator (i.e., arrestee or offender hit) or a match to a case different than the
one the DNA Profile is submitted (i.e., forensic hit).
A common misunderstanding occurs when it is assumed that for each and every “CODIS hit,” there is a
separate and distinct perpetrator identified. This is not necessarily true and an example would be:
 A woman has consensual sex with her husband. A day later, the woman is sexually assaulted
by an unknown perpetrator and a SAK is completed. Because of an unrelated felony
conviction, the husband is in the CODIS Convicted Offender Database. In this case, there may
be a “match” to the husband’s profile in the Convicted Offender Database. If the perpetrator
is also in the CODIS Convicted Offender Database for a previous crime, the DNA profile
generated by the SAK will also “match” in the Convicted Offender Database. Although there
were two “matches” in this one case, only the perpetrator’s match is counted as a “hit.”
 Expanding the example, if the same perpetrator previously committed a separate sexual
assault, in which a SAK was tested and the profile uploaded into the CODIS Forensic Database,
there would also be a “hit” as a case association (forensic hit), now making the total number
three “matches” and two “hits.”
For additional information about Hawaii’s sexual assault kit initiative and Project Mālama Kākou visit:
http://ag.hawaii.gov/hisaki
This project was supported by Grant No. 2016‐AK‐BX‐K005 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a
component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute
of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or
opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of
Justice.

This project was supported by Grant No. 2015-AK-BX-K021 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the U.S.
Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not
necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.