2017 FOIA Request
Why did we send the FOIA?
In 2017, Joyful Heart issued public records requests to numerous law enforcement agencies in California to uncover the number of untested kits in their custody and demonstrate the need to conduct a statewide inventory and mandate the testing of newly collected rape kits. In 2018, California enacted AB3118, sponsored by Joyful Heart and our partners, which required a one time inventory. The same year, Joyful Heart determined that there were 13,615 untested kits based on a national grant funding report and The Accountability Project.
What did we discover?
Based on data provided, Stockton Police Department (SPD) received 481 rape kits between 2010 and 2017, and submitted 96% of these kits for testing, leaving a backlog of 19 unsubmitted rape kits. On January 1, 2016, a law encouraging law enforcement to submit all newly collected rape kits for testing went into effect in California. According to the information provided by SPD, the agency is following the encouragement of the law.
More Accountability Targets in California
Bakersfield, CAConcord, CACorona, CAFremont, CAFresno, CAFullerton, CAGarden Grove, CAGlendale, CAHayward, CALong Beach, CAOrange, CAOxnard, CAPasadena, CAPomona, CARedding, CASacramento, CASalinas, CASan Bernardino, CASan Diego, CASan Jose, CASanta Barbara, CASanta Cruz, CASanta Monica, CASanta Rosa, CAShasta County, CASimi Valley, CATorrance, CAVallejo, CAVisalia, CA
Why Accountability?
Right now, we do not know the full extent of the national rape kit backlog because few states require law enforcement agencies to count, track, or test rape kits. The Accountability Project aims to bring greater transparency and accountability to rape kit testing practices across the country.