HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania is testing its first statewide sexual assault evidence tracking system with 12 hospitals and 64 police departments in three counties ahead of a December rollout that will allow survivors to confidentially monitor the status of evidence collected in their cases.
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis joined state health, law enforcement and victim-services officials Tuesday to detail the implementation of Track-Kit, which is being piloted in Erie, Lancaster and York counties with hospitals, police departments, forensic nurses and laboratories.
The system stems from Act 122 of 2024, which requires the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to establish and maintain a statewide electronic, web-based tracking system for sexual assault evidence. The law requires all entities that handle and process rape kits, including health care facilities, law enforcement agencies and laboratories, to participate.
Track-Kit will allow health care facilities, law enforcement and forensic laboratories to record key dates as evidence moves from collection through analysis. Survivors will be able to confidentially check their kit’s status and opt into automatic notifications when updates are entered.
The system must also provide survivors with information about each stage of the process, access to relevant contact information and a safety exit that allows users to quickly close the system. A survivor’s access is required to remain anonymous to other parties.
“In Pennsylvania, between 2023 and 2025, there were about 3,800 reported rape cases each year, and less than half of them were cleared,” Davis, who chairs PCCD, said Tuesday. “This new tracking system will not only keep victims informed but it will help them get the justice they deserve.”
PCCD secured a $2.5 million competitive federal award in January 2025 to support the system’s design and implementation and training for hospitals, law enforcement agencies, forensic laboratories and victim-service professionals. Testing began in the three pilot counties in mid-2026.
The pilot is being used to identify training and technical issues before the statewide launch. Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen said the system is intended to provide greater visibility into how evidence is handled while keeping the needs of survivors at the center of the process.
“Survivors deserve to know their evidence is being handled with care and that they have not been forgotten,” said Joyce Lukima, coalition director and chief operating officer of the Pennsylvania Coalition to Advance Respect.
The rollout comes alongside increased state funding for victim services. Pennsylvania’s 2026-27 budget includes a $12 million increase for rape crisis centers, nearly doubling state support, as well as $4.5 million for the Victims Compensation Assistance Program. The administration has secured $19.5 million for that program since 2023.
State officials are separately pressing Congress to stabilize federal Victims of Crime Act funding, which supports local victim-service providers. Davis has warned that funding instability is already prompting programs to reduce staffing, outreach and services.
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