The King County Sheriff's Office collects DNA from 62 registered sex offenders

Beginning in October of 2020, the King County Sheriff’s Office Registered Sex Offender Unit, in partnership with Washington's Office of the Attorney General and the United States Marshals Service, launched the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Lawfully Owed DNA project. 

This initiative was intended to collect DNA samples from 107 registered sex offenders in King County who, by law, were required to do so.

Procedural, administrative and other reasons, beyond the scope of the Sheriff's Office, contributed to these offenders failing to initially provide their required DNA. 

Once collected, this offender DNA is stored in CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), an FBI-maintained database widely used in criminal investigations.

During the last ten months, detectives with the King County Sheriff's Office Special Assault and Registered Sex Offender Units, despite the challenges of the pandemic, successfully located and collected DNA from 62 offenders. 

All members agree that their work is not done until each person is found and their DNA, as required by law, is collected.

King County Sheriff Mitzi G. Johanknecht states, "Investigators and prosecutors throughout our nation rely on these CODIS samples to solve our most serious cases and bring justice to survivors of sexual assault and other crimes. 

"I am proud to lead a team of detectives and other professionals who battled COVID-19, and other hurdles, to further this critical work."

Please visit this link for more information about the Department of Justice's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative:

Dept. of Justice Sexual Assault Kit Initiative