Phoenix Police says it will implement state rape kit tracking program
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — In a significant shift, the Phoenix Police Department said it will adopt a rape kit tracking system that’s free and being used by every other law enforcement agency in Arizona.
The decision comes as legislation requiring the use of the Track-Kit program gains momentum in the Legislature. The program uses a barcode that allows sexual assault survivors to monitor the status of their rape kits in real-time, from collection through testing.
According to the Department of Public Safety’s 2024 annual report, 229 survivors logged onto the Track-Kit program nearly 1,700 times. “We want to make sure that all survivors in Arizona have the same experience,” Jenna Panas, the executive director of the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, said. Panas has worked with other survivors and advocates, pushing for the city to adopt the standardized system for years.
Until recently, Phoenix Police had refused to join the system. Instead, they moved forward with their own platform, known as Community Connect. That system, which went online last month, allows survivors to access information through the Victim Information Portal. However, unlike Track-Kit, Phoenix’s system does not communicate with the Department of Public Safety, limiting its ability to track kits statewide and identify testing backlogs.
Community Connect also requires detectives, not forensic nurses, to manually input data, raising concerns among advocates. “We’re going to see delays. We’re going to see mistakes, and it’s not going to be up-to-date information for the survivor,” Panas warned.
As recently as November 2024, police officials defended their approach. “We have our own process,” Phoenix Police Sgt. Robert Scherer told Arizona’s Family Investigates. “I get the notion of wanting to see where your kit is at all times,” he explained.
Emails obtained by Arizona’s Family Investigates show the department repeatedly delayed the rollout of its system—first promising it would be live in fall 2024, then in January 2025. When questioned them in late 2024, Sgt. Scherer admitted, “I don’t have a timeframe on that.”
Assistant Chief of Investigations Ed De Castro said the department launched Community Connect to improve transparency.
But now, Phoenix said it will use the Track-Kit program. Arizona’s Family asked why do it now. “We will be implementing it in the fall once the bill becomes signed and becomes law. So we will have to,” De Castro said.
Arizona’s Family Investigates attended committee meetings in the Legislature where the city tried to fight HB 2581, but it appears to have failed. “We feel strongly that our system is a better option. However, we will still comply, and we will still do the Track-Kit,” he said.
Panas said she’s optimistic the bill will make it to the governor’s desk and that she will sign it. HB 2581 was amended by the Senate to exclude Phoenix police from having to use the system. However, the conference committee removed the amendment so the House has to readopt the measure before it goes anywhere.
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