Original Release Date: February 4, 2022
In episode five of our Perspectives on At-Home Sexual Assault Kits season, Just Science sat down with Scott Mourtgos, a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Utah, a National Institute of Justice (NIJ) LEADS Scholar, and the Deputy Chief of the Salt Lake City Police Department to provide a law enforcement perspective to our discussion on at-home sexual assault kits.
Sexual assault cases are some of the most challenging cases to investigate. Forensic evidence associated with these cases plays a key role in resolving these cases and supporting victims of sexual assault. Listen along as Deputy Chief Mourtgos, a researcher and veteran police officer with experience investigating sexual assault cases, discuss at-home kits and other strategies to respond to sexual violence in this episode of Just Science.
This episode of Just Science is funded by the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence [Award 2016-MU-BX-K110].
Some content in this podcast may be considered sensitive and may evoke emotional responses, or may not be appropriate for younger audiences.
View or download the episode transcript here:
Transcript
Related Resources
- Scott M. Mourtgos, Ian T. Adams, and Sharon H. Mastracci, “Improving Victim Engagement and Officer Response in Rape Investigations: A Longitudinal Assessment of a Brief Training,” Journal of Criminal Justice (Pergamon, May 6, 2021)
- Scott M. Mourtgos et al., “Mandatory Sexual Assault Kit Testing Policies and Arrest Trends: A Natural Experiment · CRIMRXIV,” CrimRxiv (PubPub, February 11, 2021)
Guest Biography
Deputy Chief Scott Mourtgos has nearly two decades of service with the Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD). He currently oversees the Field Operations Bureau. Deputy Chief Mourtgos has previously served in patrol, narcotics, community intelligence, investigations, professional standards, and training. He also served as the Intelligence Commander for the SLCPD as a Major Cities Chiefs Association member. Deputy Chief Mourtgos holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Weber State University, an M.A. in Forensic Psychology from the University of North Dakota, and is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Political Science Department at the University of Utah. He is also an FBI National Academy graduate. His research interests include public perceptions of use-of-force, investigative techniques in sexual assault cases, and crime deterrence policy. He has published numerous peer-reviewed studies in academic journals, including research examining the effect of mandatory sexual assault kit testing policies and the efficacy of trauma-informed training with police officers on victim engagement.
The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this podcast episode are those of the presenter(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Justice.
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