DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa has unveiled a new system for rape victims to track the status of their rape kits.

Attorney General Tom Miller announced the release of the Track-Kit system Thursday, which tags and tracks all rape-kits through their entire process - from hospitals to crime labs to police agencies.

The new system addresses a problem in Iowa, where there were more than 4,000 untested rape kits in 2017.

Miller says his office completed training and rollout of the new system this week. He says the system will connect 1,500 users at hospitals and clinics, as well as police agencies, crime labs and county attorneys.

“This is a major milestone in our office’s efforts to restore trust and transparency in sexual assault investigations,” Miller said. “We’ve reduced the backlog in untested kits, and going forward, we can prevent such a problem from happening ever again.”

The Track-Kit system is also endorsed by the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

“The Track-Kit system will connect more survivors to services, regardless of whether a survivor chooses to report, and will allow survivors to better advocate for themselves and their needs,” said Matty Tate-Smith with CASA.

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