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Violent crime

Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence - Inventory, Tracking, and Reporting

Closing Date

It is not known how many unanalyzed sexual assault kits (SAKs) there are nationwide . Evidence from sexual assaults like weapons, bedding, clothing, and SAKs can be used to corroborate that a crime occurred, identify or eliminate a person suspected of perpetrating a crime, and ascertain whether a suspect may have been involved in other crimes. SAKs contain biological and trace evidence, along with other...

Investigator-Initiated Research and Evaluation on Firearms Violence

Closing Date

NIJ seeks investigator-initiated applications for funding for research and evaluation related to reducing firearms violence and understanding the causes and effects of firearms violence. This solicitation aims to strengthen our knowledge base and improve public safety by producing findings with practical implications for reducing firearms violence. This solicitation is focused specifically on producing research related to intentional, interpersonal firearms violence. NIJ is particularly interested in...

Research and Evaluation on Domestic Radicalization to Violent Extremism: Prevention and Intervention Demonstration Programs

Closing Date

The goal of this research program is to provide a more comprehensive and extensive understanding of domestic radicalization as it occurs in the United States, and to provide State, local and tribal criminal justice agencies evidence-based tools to address it. The primary objective of this solicitation is to produce research studies that improve this understanding by filling gaps in the existing research or expanding on...

What Is a Sexual Assault Kit?

January 2016
NIJ Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences Director Gerald LaPorte and Deputy Director Heather Waltke, along with Heather LaSalle, Forensic Examiner, DNA Casework Unit, from the FBI Laboratory explain what a sexual assault kit is and how it is used as part of a sexual assault investigation.

A Sexual Assault Kit Partnership

November 2015
NIJ Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences Director Gerald LaPorte and Deputy Director Heather Waltke, along with Heather LaSalle, Forensic Examiner, DNA Casework Unit, and Tina Delgado, Chief, Biometrics Division from the FBI Laboratory discuss why the NIJ-FBI Sexual Assault Kit Partnership was created and how the partnership plans to shed light on the complexities of sexual assault cases, particularly kits that