On December 17, the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs (OJP) awarded more than $6.4 million in grant funding to support sexual assault kit testing, investigations and prosecutions in northern Ohio.
Funding was awarded to provide services for prepubescent victims of sexual assault and assist medical nurses with obtaining specialized training.
Locally, the ProMedica metro forensic program: children’s advocacy center and training expansion received $600,000.
ProMedica was awarded funding to provide coordinated forensic interviews, non-acute medical exams and follow-up care for prepubescent victims of sexual assault.
In addition, the grant funding will assist nurses with obtaining their sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) certification.
Other Ohio cities receiving grants are:
•City of Cleveland, $2,461,762, to continue sexual assault kit testing, identify victims of sexual assault cold cases and continue the implementation of best practices and victimcentered approaches to investigating and prosecuting these cases.
•City of Akron, $2,002,676, to hire personnel to continue investigations and prosecutions into sexual assault cold cases.
•Cuyahoga County prosecutor’s office, $1,395,078, to help identify “John Doe” defendants, solve sexually motivated homicides and reinvestigate previous sexual assault kits to find case leads.
The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at ojp.gov.
