Arizona

In 2025, Arizona legislators enacted HB2581, which would codify the state’s tracking system with an anonymous victim portal into law. The bill mandates participation from all relevant agencies and tracks kits from initial collection to final disposition. Read our written and oral testimonies in support of the bill, and our press release here.

In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) awarded the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office nearly $2.5 million to enhance DNA testing and support investigations of partially tested sexual assault kits and the City of Tucson Police Department $1.5 million for the investigation and prosecution of cold case sexual assaults and sexually motivated homicides.

In November of 2024, Arizona’s Department of Public Safety released its annual report. The report shows that a total of 1,735 SAKs were received by law enforcement agencies in 2024. 1,399 (80.6%) of these kits were subsequently submitted to a laboratory for analysis. This means that there were 366 unsubmitted kits in police possession. (For more information on the reasons for not submitting these kits, refer to the 2023 timeline update.)

Finally, the report also shows that in 2024, 229 survivors accessed the Track-Kit system 1,698 times to view the progress of their kits.

The report reflects information collected from 108 agencies that participate in the Track-Kit system, and does not include untested kits at the Phoenix Police Department.

As of November 2024, the Phoenix Police Department has reduced its backlog to 160 kits with the majority of those kits expected to be sent to a private lab for testing.

In December of 2023, Arizona’s Department of Public Safety Released its Annual Report. The report shows that a total of 1,805 SAKs were received by law enforcement agencies in 2023. 1,458 (80.7%) of these kits were subsequently submitted to a laboratory for analysis. This means that there were 347 unsubmitted kits in police possession. The report says that the reasons for these kits not being submitted for analysis were several, for example: the allegations were determined to be unfounded through investigation, or that the victim elected to not move forward with the analysis of the SAK. It is essential to acknowledge that the accurate interpretation of sexual assault cases is often hindered by a lack of understanding of trauma in victims, leading to instances where cases are misclassified as unfounded or marked by a perceived lack of cooperation.

Finally, the report also shows that in 2023, 229 survivors accessed the Track-Kit system 1,201 times to view the progress of their kits.

The report reflects information collected from 108 agencies that participate in the Track-Kit system, and does not include untested kits at the Phoenix Police Department.

As of August 2023, Phoenix Police Department had a backlog of 822 sexual assault kits. Earlier in 2021, Arizona Crime Lab had announced the state had no untested rape kits left. With this new backlog in Phoenix, the state is removed from the list of states that ended their backlog.

In 2023, Arizona’s Family Investigates found Phoenix Police Department is the only law enforcement agency in the state not using the statewide rape kit tracking system. The system provides doctors, police, prosecutors and survivors with real-time information on a kit in every other jurisdiction in Arizona.

Although Arizona cleared its backlog in 2021, a report by AZ Family indicated that Phoenix has a new backlog of 835 kits.

SB1244 would have create a rape kit tracking system within the already existing “automated crime victim notification system”. This bill failed.

HB2600 would have changed kit-handling timelines. Under this bill, medical facilities would have been required to notify law enforcement within 48 hours of collecting a kit, instead of the current 24-hour mandate. Law enforcement would have been required to pick up the kit within 15 business days, instead of five. This bill failed to pass. Joyful Heart does not support extending kit submission timelines as proposed in this bill.

HB2849 would have required medical facilities to notify law enforcement agencies within 48 hours of administering a rape kit examination. Law enforcement would then be required to assign a criminal complaint number to the kit within five days, and pick up and submit kits to the crime lab within 15 business days. However, this bill did not mandate the lab to test kits, or specify any turnaround time. The bill also would have granted survivors the right to receive law enforcement reports on their cases, but no right to know the status of their kits. This bill failed to pass.

According to sources at the state crime lab as of January 2021, the state has processed all 6,424 backlogged rape kits found in the 2016 inventory.

In 2020, legislators introduced SB1276, which would have granted survivors of sexual assault various rights and required law enforcement to give them instructions on how to request the results of their kit analysis. This bill failed to pass.

In 2019, Arizona legislators introduced HB2206, which would have established a Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights. For the second year, this bill failed to pass.

In 2019, BJA awarded Pima County $2 million to sustain its work on rape kit reform.

$1.5 million was awarded to Maricopa County in 2018 to sustain its work on rape kit reform.

In 2018, Arizona legislators introduced SB1460 and HB2640, which would have granted sexual assault survivors the right to notice regarding rape kit testing status and results, as well as requiring the Department of Public Safety to develop a statewide tracking system for rape kits. These bills failed to pass.

BJA awarded Maricopa County an additional $1,199,503 in 2017.

In 2017, Arizona appropriated $1.2 million in the FY 2018 budget to test backlogged kits in the state. Legislators also introduced SB1355, which would have granted sexual assault survivors the right to information about their kits, and would have funded the testing of previously unsubmitted rape kits, but this bill failed to pass.

In 2017, Arizona enacted HB2268, which requires hospitals to notify law enforcement agencies within 24 hours of completing a rape kit exam, requires law enforcement agencies to pick up kits within five days, and requires law enforcement agencies to submit kits to the lab within 15 days of collection. The law also requires law enforcement agencies and laboratories to report annually on kits collected and tested. Read Joyful Heart’s letter of support.

In 2016, Governor Doug Ducey issued Executive Order 2016-02, requiring a one-time statewide audit, and establishing the Arizona Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit Task Force. That same year, the task force reported a total of 6,424 untested rape kits in storage at law enforcement agencies across the state. Of these, 4,367 were from Maricopa County. As per the recommendations of the task force, the state adopted a rape kit tracking system. However, participation is not mandatory by law for all law enforcement agencies or jurisdictions.

In 2016, Arizona legislators appropriated $500,000 in new funding for rape kit testing in Fiscal Year (FY) 2017.

In 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) awarded Maricopa County $1,232,705 and the Phoenix Police Department $1,597,406 to test kits, investigate and prosecute cases, and re-engage survivors.

In 2015, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office awarded the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office $1,929,145 to test 2,300 rape kits; the Tempe Police Department $363,699 to test 500 rape kits; and the Tucson Police Department Crime Lab $1,038,000 to test 1,200 kits.

In 2014, The Accountability Project issued an open records request to bring the number of untested rape kits in Tucson to light. As a result of this request, and local media pressure, they uncovered a backlog of 1,849 untested kits in Tucson in 2015.