12,669 untested rape kits in Los Angeles County

Report Released on Los Angeles Rape Kit Backlog
from Feminist Daily News Wire
April 1, 2009

A Human Rights Watch report released yesterday found that there are at least 12,669 untested rape kits in Los Angeles County, the largest known backlog of its kind in the US.

Here is the report from Human Rights Watchreport (see PDF) .

The report found that of the 12,669 kit backlog, 499 kits are past the statute of limitations in California rape law and at least 1,218 are from unsolved cases where the attacker was a stranger. It is estimated that thousands more kits have been destroyed in LA County untested.

Can you believe that?
Well, on October 29th of 2008 this was the news:

Following the shocking news, media pressure and community outrage of the 7,000 untested rape-kits sitting on LAPD shelves, the LAPD along with Mayor Villaraigosa and City Attorney hopeful Jack Weiss announced a plan to catch up on the DNA testing of rape-kits. Basically, political will and funding will be directed towards the crime lab.

"The plan calls for the addition of ten criminalists every six months until the LAPD Crime Lab is fully staffed, and an increase in funding for outsourcing," a Mayor's Office press release explains. "These two actions will allow LAPD to clear the backlog of approximately 7,000 untested rape kits in 30 months, and to test DNA evidence from new crimes."

"In Los Angeles, 80 out of every 100 rapists, are never brought to justice," That ends today," said Chief Bratton in September. Well, let's hope so, sir.

Does it all come down to money? It may have the excuse of budget allocation. Speaking of rape kits, it brought to mind when Sarah Palin was mayor of that town in Alaska. The city charged the victim for the cost of rape kits. Plus the cost of the forensic investigation. Money? There are other leaders who allocate money differently. Look what Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria has done as president of Chile.