Victims of Sexual Assault
Sexual Assault Forensic Examination (SAFE) & Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA) Collection Kits
If you were the victim of sexual assault in Morris County and did not report the crime to law enforcement, but had a SAFE kit and/or a DFSA kit completed by a nurse at a medical facility, as a victim you now have the following additional rights:
- If you had a SAFE kit and/or DFSA kit completed prior to September 15, 2023, the previous (5) year retention period for these kits originally enacted in 2014, has now been extended to a period of (20) years. Therefore:
- If you were an adult when the assault occurred and a SAFE kit and/or DFSA kit was completed, you may now report the assault to law enforcement for up to (20) years from the date that the kit(s) were completed.
- If you were under (18) years of age when the assault occurred and a SAFE kit and/or DFSA kit was completed, you may now report the assault to law enforcement for up to (20) years from your 18th birthday.
- To report the assault to law enforcement, you must: either contact the municipal police department or other law enforcement agency with local jurisdiction where the assault occurred; or the police department or law enforcement agency where you reside (if different from where the assault occurred). Please inform the official accepting your report that you had a SAFE kit and/or DFSA kit completed and its date of completion, and your Forensic Nurse Examiner Case Number that is listed on the form provided to you when the kit was initially completed. You will also be required to complete and sign a Sexual Assault Evidence Release form (below) at that that time. Filing a previously unreported sexual assault will result in the submission of theSAFE kitand/orDFSA kitfor forensic examination, and the initiation of a criminal investigation.
- Questions may be referred to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Forensic Nurse Coordinator during regular business hours at (973) 285-6367.
Victim/Witness Services
Few events in one’s life are as traumatic as being a victim of crime. When this tragedy occurs, it is crucial that the perpetrator(s) be brought to justice, but it is just as important that victims and their families are offered assistance in putting their lives back together. The process of bringing criminals to justice often requires the assistance of civilian witnesses whose lives can also be seriously disrupted.
In order to help victims access the necessary assistance resources and help both victims and witnesses during their participation in the criminal justice process, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office offers the services of its Office of Victim-Witness Advocacy.