During our audit of the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office (CIDAO), we found that the law does not define the role of the district attorneys in the Track-Kit system; it just requires district attorneys to participate in the system for the purpose of tracking the status of all kits. Specifically, Section 18X(g) of Chapter 6A of the General Laws states, “District attorney offices shall participate in the statewide sexual assault evidence kit tracking system established in this section for the purpose of tracking the status of all sexual assault evidence kits.”
We asked the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) what the role of a district attorney’s office is regarding the Track-Kit system. EOPSS told us that the primary role for a district attorney’s office is to use the system, but what they do with it is up to them. Further, according to user manuals within the Help Center in the Track-Kit system, the role of district attorneys in the system is as follows:
The prosecuting attorney’s role in Track-Kit is to:
- Review cases referred by law enforcement, if enabled.
- Assign [CIDAO contact information] to a kit.
- Perform searches for kits available in the prosecuting attorney’s jurisdiction.
We inquired with EOPSS about this and were informed that this was included in the system based on frequently asked questions from various district attorneys about their role within the system. Additionally, EOPSS offered trainings in the use of the Track-Kit system to various district attorney offices in 2019, outside the audit period, but we found that only one active user from CIDAO attended these trainings.
Beyond these trainings, there has not been clarification or guidance—from either EOPSS or the law—on what district attorneys are required to do to participate in the system for the purpose of tracking the status of all kits. Due to this, there has been inconsistent use of the Track-Kit system across the Commonwealth’s district attorney offices. CIDAO management told us during interviews that the agency rarely used the Track-Kit system and provided user activity logs during the audit period that supported their statements. They also told us that they generally opt to use the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab’s Laboratory Information Management System to obtain testing results for SAECKs within the office’s jurisdiction.
The Track-Kit system was designed to increase transparency, accountability, and survivor-centered care in the handling of SAECKs. If the role of the district attorneys in the Track-Kit system is not clearly defined, then there could be inconsistent use of the system across district attorneys’ offices, which may limit the effectiveness of the system.
CIDAO should work with EOPSS to clearly define and standardize its role in the Track-Kit system.
| Date published: | November 25, 2025 |
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