“We want them to get the medical treatment.”The Violence Against Women Act of 2005 allows a victim to receive the medical forensic exam without having to participate in criminal justice investigations, according to the National Center for Victims of Crime.

The unreported anonymous rape kits, also known as “Jane/John Doe” kits, give “victims access to medical care and allow important evidence to be collected, without forcing the victim to immediately decide whether to report the assault to law enforcement,” said the Center, “which does not support the testing of these anonymous kits without victim permission.”Prosecutors in Ulster County have already developed a policy that requires police agencies to test all kits as long as the victim agrees to pursue criminal charges against his or her attacker.

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If you fall under one of these groups of people you may be eligible to receive preference when applying for jobs.While no Dutchess County agency has reported an active investigation that has been slowed by the untested sexual assault evidence kits, prosecutors and law enforcement agencies in Dutchess are rethinking the county's lack of a uniform policy when it comes to testing and recording the kits.“We are definitely in the process this year of trying to decide what is an appropriate protocol is for our county,” said Dutchess County Assistant District Attorney Kristine Whelan.“As victim service providers, we would really advocate for them (kits) all to be tested,” said Leah Feldman, director of the Center for Victim Safety and Support at the Poughkeepsie-based Family Services.“It sends a clear supportive message…to victims that the case matters, and a message to perpetrators that they will be held accountable.”Whether or not they want to make a police report, victims are encouraged to “undergo the exam,” Feldman added.The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said Stephen J.Paul, 43, stabbed 70-year-old Edward Williams in his apartment on the 100 block of East Broad Street on Tuesday afternoon.There are at least 90 sexual-assault evidence kits from as far back as 2008 stored in police departments throughout Dutchess County that were never sent to the state's crime lab in Albany to be tested.There are at least 90 sexual-assault evidence kits from as far back as 2008 stored in police departments throughout Dutchess County that were never sent to the state's crime lab in Albany to be tested. Several police agencies in Dutchess do not keep track of the number of kits, which store valuable DNA evidence taken from possible victims of sexual assault, making it difficult to ascertain the exact number of untested kits in the county.