Welcome to

Thousands of rape kits containing DNA remain untested in police evidence lockers across the state. But as Mike Vasilinda tells us, newly filed legislation at the State Capitol would require all kits be tested.

The legislation requires that each and every rape kit be forward to the state crime law within three weeks of having been received by a law enforcement agency. State. Rep. Janet Adkins of Fernandina Beach is the sponsor.

“If you are victim of sexual assault, it is a reasonable expectation, a reasonable expectation that sometime is done with the evidence that is collected. It is an outrage” says Adkins.

One of the problem is that no one knows how many kits remain untested. Its estimated to be in the thousands.

Last spring, the Department of Law Enforcement was ordered by lawmakers to send out this survey to every police agency in the state. It asks simply, how many untested rape kits do you have?”

About one hundred of the 400 agencies being surveyed have responded so far.

It currently takes the Department of Law Enforcement 107 days to test a sexual assault kit. FDLE expects the timeline to increase if it doesn’t get more lab analysts.  Adkins says testing the kits is an important safety issue.

“That perpetrator will commit the crime again and again and again, and perhaps each time become more violent in how they commit that crime. And so its important no only for these women to receive justice, but its also important, vitally important for Florida’s public safety” Adkins told reporters.

Under the legislation, the Department of Law Enforcement must come up with a plan for getting everything tested by October of next year. …and then it must have every backlogged kit tested by June 2017.

One of the reasons for the lengthening backlog in testing labs is low salaries and turnover. State crime lab analysts are currently paid about 24 thousand dollars a year less than many city and county labs.