We previously had some entries about backlogs of untested rape kits. It turns out that Senator Patrick Leahey, (D) Vermont, recently held a hearing on this issue:
The Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing yesterday on the national rape kit backlog, the reauthorization of the Debbie Smith Act, and current legislation introduced in the Senate that is intended to incentivize the processing of rape kits. hearing
Committee Chair Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said in his statement, “No matter how much money we send to crime labs for testing, if samples that could help make cases instead sit on the shelf in police evidence rooms and never make it to the lab, that money will do no good. Police officers must understand the importance of testing this vital evidence and must learn when testing is appropriate and necessary…there must be national standards, protocols, and best practices giving clear guidance to police officers about when kits and other relevant DNA samples must go to labs. Every jurisdiction must have real incentives to provide comprehensive training and put into place these standards for the officers who handle DNA evidence.”
Sources: Human Right’s Watch
