Backlog of sexual assault kits has decreased ‘significantly,’ according to Phoenix Police Department

PHOENIX – The Phoenix Police Department’s backlog of sexual assault kits has decreased “significantly,” according to a statement from the department.

In August 2023, ABC15 reported that the department had more than 830 employees. Sexual assault kits will be testedhigher than previous figures reported at the beginning of that year.

ABC15 has been reporting on the backlog of sexual assault kits in Phoenix and the state of Arizona for years. Watch the previous broadcast in the player above.

Last year the City of Phoenix approved More than $3 million in additional financing To help outsource the testing of DNA rape kits that have accumulated in the city.

Progress could come for DNA rape kit backlog with new funding approval

The police department said that in just over a year since receiving the funding, it has been able to test 930 kits by outsourcing and hiring more forensic scientists.

In a statement from the department, it was stated that a “significant” portion of the 800 outstanding kits had been tested, while at the same time an average of approximately 50 new kits were received each month.

The department estimates that 160 sexual assault kits remain and “the majority of these are expected to be sent out for processing within the next month.”

Phoenix police say Victim Information PortalThe application, which was launched in early 2024, is expected to be expanded to include sexual assault cases in 2025.