SF Misses Out On $2 Million In Grants To Clear Rape Kit Backlog
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - San Francisco will not be getting $2 million in grants to text rape kits.
The kits help investigators solve sex crimes but San Francisco and many other cities have huge testing backlogs.
In December, San Francisco tested more than 700 kits, but there are still many more dating all the way back to the 1970's.
The chief of police says now is not the time for the grants. He says that old case files are disorganized, and that his lab can't handle the work until things are sorted out.
"You'd want all that money to go toward the testing of the kits not towards administrative overheard. When we get to that we'll apply for a grant or use general funds - because it is a priority for us," said Chief Greg Shur.
The District Attorney's Office could not apply for the funding without the police department's participation.
"We want to get to the point where we can say there will never be another untested rape kit in this nation," said District Attorney George Gascon. "We understand that a lot of the record keeping, especially with these older kits might be faulty, but that's not a reason not to try."
Gascon estimates that there are 1,000 untested kits in the city backlog. Chief Suhr said it's not clear how many untested kits there are because the records are so spotty.
According to the San Francisco Examiner, many of the kits are past the 10 year statute of limitations for prosecuting rape cases.
