2015 FOIA Request
Why did we send the FOIA?
In 2015, Joyful Heart issued public records requests to 22 medium sized jurisdictions for which we did not have any or had very little information about their untested rape kits.
What did we discover?
The Trenton Police Department (TPD) has not fully responded to our request. TPD stated that they did not have any documentation regarding rape kits collected or submitted for testing. In December 2016, Trenton denied our second FOIA request. As of March 2017, we have closed our inquiry.
More Accountability Targets in New Jersey
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.