Thanks to a local grant through Freedom House from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women, Perry’s SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) team now have a new and improved camera for collecting evidence from victims in the Emergency Department.
The new camera, provided by SDFI, has everything needed to take high quality photos and thoroughly document evidence of sexual or domestic violence.
The new SDFI package includes lighting equipment, a stand, and other tools to make taking photographs easier. It also includes computer software with pre-programmed filters to help make bruises, injuries, etc. more visible. The filters are legally authorized, and admissible in court.
Prior to this camera, Kim Morse and Erica Dalrymple relied on a basic, outdated digital camera. If images were unclear or had bad lighting, it could be a setback in the courtroom.
Kim and Erika have gone through extensive training with the camera and are now using it for sexual assault cases in the Perry Memorial Hospital Emergency Department, serving victims across the Illinois valley corridor. Perry is the only SANE-certified facility in the region.