Today the Pennsylvania State Auditor General Eugene Depasquale revealed his investigation into a police backlog of untested rape kits.
This comes five months after state health officials disclosed the problem.
“The psychological and physical trauma of rape are profound for victims and their loved ones,” DePasquale said. “Part of the healing process includes bringing rapists to justice. Delayed processing of rape kits prevents swift justice.”
Depasquale says most of the 1,852 backlogged kits are from Philadelphia. He says the cause is poor communication between law enforcement and government agencies, and a lack of resources, including overwhelmed crime laboratories.
DePasquale said, “the thousands of sexual victims in Pennsylvania who have been awaiting justice deserve better, and as a commonwealth we must do better.”
He urged House and Senate Judiciary and Health committees; representatives from the State Department of Health, Pennsylvania State Police, Philadelphia Office of Forensic Science and the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner; and other stakeholder groups to meet to discuss exactly what resources and funding are needed. He said the group should produce a report of its results to present to the General Assembly by Feb. 1, 2017.
The untested rape kits special report is available online here.