Texas police department clears half of rape kit backlog as crime lab nears full staffing
Federal funding and expanded lab staffing are driving Fort Worth Police Department's effort to clear over 500 untested kits
Dec 29, 2024
As of Dec. 23, 514 kits remain untested, according to the release.
Max Faulkner/TNS
By Lillie Davidson
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
FORT WORTH, Texas — The Fort Worth Police Department is almost halfway through clearing a backlog of rape kits, and the city’s crime lab is almost fully staffed, authorities said Monday.
In October, 898 kits were reported overdue for the state’s 90-day time frame for testing and entry into a database, officials said in a news release.
As of Dec. 23, 514 kits remain untested, according to the release.
The Fort Worth Police Department’s share of that money is over $800,000, according to the news release.
In addition to the clearing of rape kits, the department also announced that four of five forensic scientist positions with the city’s crime lab have been filled, according to the release.
Once trained, the employees will help eliminate the remaining backlog and ensure another one doesn’t happen in the future, officials said.
In addition to efforts by the police department, officials with the city of Fort Worth are finalizing a contract with the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office to provide testing of the kits, officials said.
“Police Chief Neil Noakes and FWPD remain committed to addressing the sexual assault kits backlog, ensuring the integrity of testing and thorough case completion,” officials said. “The department is on track to meet, if not exceed, the goal of reducing the backlog completely by April 2025.”
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