Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations
Resources for responders
Responders should seek education and resources to aid them in making well-informed decisions about evidence collection. Examiners and law enforcement representatives require training and resources to allow them to make informed decisions about whether to collect evidence and what to collect in each case. They also need local policies and kit instructions that encourage them to make informed decisions in each case, rather than applying a limiting general standard to all.[1] First responders also need instructions on collecting a urine sample if there is any suspicion of drug-facilitated sexual assault and victims cannot wait to urinate until their arrival at the exam site.
[1] For many communities, moving away from the 72-hour cutoff time represents a major shift in policy. Training and policies should discourage decisionmaking about evidence collection that is based on extraneous factors, such as reluctance of a criminal justice agency to pay for sexual assault evidence collection in general.
