Houston city officials announced earlier this morning that they will be starting up a pilot program that will make it easier for victims of sexual assault to come forward.
Mayor Sylvester Turner says the city's independent crime lab will pilot a DPS program that will track all rape kits in the state through prosecution. Victims will be able to track the progress of their case online. HPD Chief Art Acevedo says this is a huge step forward.
“If we don’t create a safe space for victims to come forward, if we don’t start with the notion that we do believe you, we are not going to have people report this crime that we know goes underreported so often,” Acevedo explained.
The program will begin next month.