The importance of ending the backlog
Survivors who take the step of completing a forensic medical exam should be able to expect that their decision was not in vain. After an assault, the first thing most victims want to do is take a shower, but many do not and instead go through the arduous evidence collection process believing law enforcement will use the DNA evidence potentially in their rape kit to hold the rapist accountable and prevent further harm to others. The public should be able to expect the same.
Testing Rape Kits Increases Public Safety
When cities like Cleveland, Detroit, and Memphis started testing thousands of backlogged kits and submitting eligible DNA profiles into the national database (CODIS), they began to find that many crimes were committed by the same people. In fact, testing of these backlogged rape kits has resulted in the identification of more than 1,320 suspected serial rapists. These serial offenders, identified through testing kits in just three cities, have committed crimes across at least 40 states and Washington, D.C. They have not only committed rape—many have been linked to other violent crimes as well.
Michigan
Wayne County, Michigan, discovered 11,341 kits in 2009. The County ended its backlog in 2019. As of August 2022, 4512 DNA profiles were uploaded into CODIS, resulting in 2616 CODIS hits; 841 suspected serial sexual offenders identified; and 238 convictions.The results of testing the backlogged kits in Detroit demonstrate how testing kits can result in uncovering hundreds of crimes across the country.
Ohio
In 2011, the Ohio Attorney General launched the Sexual Assault Kit Testing Initiative, which incentivized law enforcement agencies across the state to submit all untested kits in storage to the state crime lab. The lab has tested 7,025 kits from Cuyahoga County alone, resulting in the identification of 850 serial sex offenders. One rapist has been linked to 17 victims.
Virginia
In 2014, the State of Virginia enacted a law that required law enforcement agencies to report the number of untested rape kits in their possession to the Virginia Department of Forensic Science (DFS). The report found that there were at least 2,269 untested rape kits in the state. Through an award from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the state began testing its backlogged kits, leading to over 80 matches to DNA profiles that were already collected.
In fact, testing of these backlogged rape kits has resulted in the identification of more than 1,320 suspected serial rapists.