Sec. 10. (a) Law enforcement shall:

(1) obtain the sample within forty-eight (48) hours after receiving a provider’s notification; and

Terms Used In Indiana Code 16-21-8-10

  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Attorney: includes a counselor or other person authorized to appear and represent a party in an action or special proceeding. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Indiana Code 1-1-4-5
(2) transport the sample to secured storage.

     (b) Law enforcement shall keep the sample in secured storage until the earlier of the following:

(1) At least one (1) year after the date the sample is placed in secured storage.

(2) The victim reports the sex crime to law enforcement and the sample is transported to a crime lab.

     (c) Notification of sample destruction may be provided by the division through the web based claims reimbursement and sexual assault examination kit tracking system. Law enforcement agencies and prosecuting attorneys shall cooperate with the division by providing storage updates to the division via the web based claims reimbursement and sexual assault examination kit tracking system.

     (d) A victim may register for notification through the web based claims reimbursement and sexual assault examination kit tracking system.

     (e) Each county shall develop and implement a plan for the secured storage and destruction of samples.

     (f) The director of the Indiana criminal justice institute may delay the implementation of this section until the earlier of the following:

(1) A date set by the director.

(2) The date funding becomes available by a grant through the criminal justice institute or by an appropriation from the general assembly.

If the director of the criminal justice institute delays implementation of this section, the director shall notify the prosecuting attorney of each county of the director’s action and when funding becomes available to implement this section.

     (g) The failure to comply with:

(1) this chapter;

(2) a plan adopted by a county; or

(3) a protocol adopted by a sexual assault response team;

does not, standing alone, affect the admissibility of a sample as evidence in a criminal or civil proceeding.

As added by P.L.41-2007, SEC.19. Amended by P.L.36-2019, SEC.5.