Crime & Safety
Oregon Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Is Cleared, State Police Say
Three years ago, an audit determined that the state had more than 5,500 sex assault kits that had not been tested. The backlog is now gone.
PORTLAND, OR – While people call them "rape kits," they're actually Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence – or SAFE – kits. In 2015, Oregon had accumulated a backlog of more than 5,500 kits that had not been tested.
On Wednesday, the state police announced that the backlog has been cleared.
"I'm very proud of the State Police forensic scientists in all our crime laboratories," State Police Superintendent Travis Hampton said. "They achieved remarkable results on a very demanding and technically challenging project."
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Crime labs across the state were given a boost by additional funding from the state, a grant from the Department of Justice, and a nearly $2 million grant that the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office secured from the District Attorney of New York.
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Around half of all the untested kits had come from Multnomah County.
The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office has since brought five cases as a result of the tested kits.
Two people have been convicted and sentenced to jail, one person has been convicted and is awaiting sentencing, one person is currently on trial, and one person is awaiting trial.
Photo via Shutterstock.
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