Ohio tests 10,000 rape kits to clear backlogs, hundreds indicted

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Ohio tests 10,000 rape kits to clear backlogs, hundreds indicted
Reuters
By Kim Palmer
2 hours ago

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - An effort Ohio launched about five years ago to manage its backlog of rape kits has resulted in more than 10,000 tests to recover physical evidence and led to at least 445 indictments, the state Attorney General's office said on Thursday.

"This is a tremendous milestone," Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said. "The testing of these 10,000 kits has helped identify hundreds of alleged assailants, many of whom repeatedly committed violent attacks."

Ohio began its program ahead of a White House initiative launched in 2015 to spend $41 million to accelerate testing nationwide of an estimated 400,000 rape kits that have been back logged in law enforcement storage rooms and crime labs.

In September 2015, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said his office awarded $38 million in grants toward the initiative.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/ohio-tests-10-000-rape-kits-clear-backlogs-195154596.html

[peace13]

1. This makes me sick to my stomach!

400,000 rape kits on the shelf. Mr. Define this is not a victory, this is a spotlight on how wrong the system has gone. Brings me to wonder which rape kits get processed the fastest.

[trillion]

2. +10000

[iandhr]

3. Probably the ones that had cases with suspects that had DNA in the system?

But agree it is terrible they were untested for so long.

[redwitch]

6. I agree!

This is appalling!

[s-cubed]

4. And how many assaults could have been prevented by testing in a timely manner?

Rapists tend to be repeat offenders. So, the lack of testing tells women that the police don't care if women get raped: it's just not important enough to spend money on. Disgusting!

[TexasBushwhacker]

5. But they had to spend their budgets on more important

things, like military grade weaponry.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

7. The 400K nationwide number is appaling, but I applaud Ohio for getting their 10K done

I remember reading about a pilot program along these lines. It was in Maryland, and they had (IIRC) $50,000 to do 500 kits, and the results they got from just those kits were amazing in terms of linking cases and identifying perpetrators.

It's been my understanding that clearing the backlog has been slow due to capacity. There are a limited number of labs that do the work, and they are perpetually swamped.

[truthisfreedom]

8. How can any police force justify NOT processing ANY rape kit?

How does that compute? If it's finance based, it's time to cut somewhere else from now on.

[mgmaggiemg]

9. I'v been following this saga off and on

thanks for posting

[marble falls]

10. Its unusual when good news is also bad news. Good news for hundreds of victims, from bad news for...

ten thousand victims.