LAPD Finally Clearing Backlog of Rape Kits
Over the past two years, the Los Angeles Police Department has almost finished testing over 6,000 untested rape kits, according to DailyNews.com.
For six years, the LAPD has been aware of the problem of the untested rape kits and has been struggling to keep up-to-date with testing the kits. However, no action was taken until advocacy groups and a former L.A. controller publicized the problem. The LAPD then began collecting funds to send the kits to private labs for testing, as well as hiring more crime analysts in spite of a hiring freeze. As a result, only 35 rape kits remain to be tested from the original 6,000.
However, once the kits have been tested, the work is not over. The LAPD then must review the results and send the DNA information to federal databases. The databases then search for a match through millions of profiles of individuals whose DNA is on file. The LAPD has received over 2,500 new kits since December 2008 that require testing, which is when they began working on testing the backlogged cases. Of those, almost 1,000 are untested. The LAPD believes the lab will be able to handle the new cases when the new analysts finish their training.
These untested rape kits could be very problematic. An individual could be convicted of a rape or sexual assault without the kit, be sent to prison and have their life turned upside down, only to later find out evidence existed the whole time that could have resulted in the case being dropped.
If you have been accused of a sex crime in Los Angeles, contact the Law Offices of Lawrence Wolf to speak with one of our California sex crime defense attorneys. In most cases, sex crimes in California are felonies, which can carry life-changing sentences and heavy penalties. Contact us today for a free consultation by calling (310) 277-1707.
