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Prosecutor Worthy to host 3-day sexual assault kit summit

Posted at 5:52 AM, Sep 26, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-26 17:34:21-04

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy will host the first Detroit Sexual Assault Kit Summit.

A welcoming ceremony is scheduled Monday morning at the General Motors Renaissance Center. The summit runs through Wednesday.

Nearly 300 prosecutors, victim advocates, police officials and forensic and behavioral scientists from across the country are expected to participate.

The summit will feature victim-centered approaches to handling sexual assault cases, focusing on offender behavior instead of victim behavior. Topics will include evidence-based best practices, lessons learned from communities dealing with the problem of untested rape kits and research from national experts.

More than 11,000 rape kits were found in 2009 in a Detroit police property storage facility. Worthy has pushed efforts to get the kits tested and old cases prosecuted.