Louis R. Vitullo Explained

Louis Vitullo
Birth Date:	July 2, 1924
Death Place:	Barrington, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation:	police sergeant, microanalyst

Louis R. Vitullo (July 2, 1924 – January 3, 2006^[1]) was a Chicago police sergeant and chief microanalyst at the city's crime lab.^[2]

Vitullo helped to develop the rape kit, which standardized evidence collection in cases of sexual assault. Marty Goddard, a victim advocate, had seen the need for more systematic evidence at trial, and brought her concerns and the idea for a kit to Vitullo. Vitullo helped develop Goddard's prototype.^{[3] [4] [5] [6]} Although the resulting evidence kits were for a time called Vitullo kits,^[5] this name has more recently come under criticism as part of a general push to honor Goddard's contribution to the kits.^{[6] [7]}

Death

Vitullo died at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, Illinois, on January 3, 2006, after he collapsed at his home in Cary.

Further reading

• Book: Engels, Tristin. The Power of Truth: The Life of Louis R. Vitullo and the Legacy of the Rape Kit. 2020. Genius Book Publishing. 978-1-947521-71-1. en. (A book by Vitullo's granddaughter.)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Louis R. Vitullo (obituary). Northwest Herald. January 5, 2006. Legacy.com. January 12, 2021.
2. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20060112/ai_n16012519 "Crime lab expert developed rape kits: Standard system to collect"
3. News: Ravitz. Jessica. The Story Behind the First Rape Kit. 13 May 2016. CNN. November 21, 2015.
4. Book: T. Christian Miller. Ken Armstrong. A False Report: The chilling true story of the woman nobody believed. 6 February 2018. Random House. 978-1-4735-3943-3.
5. News: Freudenheim . Betty . Chicago Hospitals Are Using New Kit to Help Rape Victims Collect Evidence . 17 June 2020 . The New York Times . 2 December 1978 . 48.
6. News: Kennedy. Pagan. 17 June 2020. Opinion The Rape Kit's Secret History. en-US. The New York Times. 17 June 2020. 0362-4331.
7. Shelby . Renee . Whose Rape Kit? Stabilizing the Vitullo Kit Through Positivist Criminology and Protocol Feminism . Theoretical Criminology . December 2018 . 24 . 4 . 669–688 . 10.1177/1362480618819805. 149793380 .