Report says more funding needed to cut into rape kit backlog
HARRISBURG (AP) – Pennsylvania government auditors say it will take significant new funding to cut into the state’s backlog of untested rape kits and are recommending penalties for police agencies that don’t meet testing and reporting standards contained in a law that was enacted last year.
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale on Wednesday released a report prompted by the state Health Department’s disclosure in May that there were more than 1,850 rape kits in Pennsylvania that had gone more than a year without being tested.
The new report recommends that the state provide funding to add sufficient people and equipment to end the backlog and ensure that new kits are tested within six months.
It also suggests that the state explore possible penalties against police departments that don’t follow the rape kit testing law.