Phoenix Police are making progress on their pile of rape kits, but how many remain untested?

PHOENIX (AZ Family) – Phoenix Police Department says they’re making progress on accumulating rape kits after public outcry led city leaders to approve $3.4 million additional financing outsourcing them to outside laboratories.

At the end of July 2023, they had 835 untested kits on hand. As of October 31, the backlog had fallen to 515 rape kits. However, unlike last year, they announced that 355 of these kits have already been tested by external laboratories.

These numbers also include testing of the 675 new kits that arrived last year.

Seven years later, the trauma of being sexually assaulted still haunts Kate.

“I don’t know why this affects me today,” he said.

Hundreds of survivors like Kate have had their cases postponed, leaving their lives in limbo as they wait for their rape cases to be assessed.

Sexual assault is an incredibly personal and violent crime. Unlike other crime victims, coming forward often means going through an invasive, emotionally charged ordeal.

“When you go to get a rape kit and you go to the hospital, most of the time you have to wait for a forensic nurse on duty to come,” she explained.

Kate said it took eight hours to wait for the nurse, then the real tests were done, her clothes were taken from her. His body was considered as evidence.

“You tell the forensic nurse what happened to you in great detail. “This was something I wasn’t personally ready to do and something I enjoyed doing at the time,” he said.

Afterwards it was even harder.

“It took over a year and a half to be tested for the first time, followed by months of rounds of testing. So the entire process took about two years,” he said.

Kate’s attack took place in Tucson, but Arizona’s Family found that survivors in metro Phoenix face similar obstacles.

Arizona’s Family Investigates Amy Cutler asked police what they would say to survivors who feel like their cases aren’t getting the attention and resources they deserve.

“I understood that perception 15 months ago when the backlog was 835, the backlog was 835, we understand that. We understand that this is a problem that we need to solve,” said Phoenix Police Sgt. Rob Scherer.

Scherer says staffing shortages remain. Eight of 28 positions in their laboratory’s Forensic DNA section remain vacant. He says it will take time to find the right people.

“The recruitment process is over six months long; The training period is 24 to 30 months. You’re really talking about a potential three years from that recruiting element to realizing the benefit in that person’s lab,” Scherer explained.

Arizona Family shared data with authorities Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic ViolenceAdvocating for survivors like Kate.

“I’m excited that some of the kits have been tested. Jenna Panas, the nonprofit’s CEO, responded: “Any progress is good progress, but it’s not enough.”

Panas argues Phoenix Police could have done more; They are the only law enforcement agency in the state that doesn’t use it. Parts Kit.

The program uses a barcode to track the exact location of the rape kit, and survivors can receive this information in real time.

“That was one of the most frustrating things about it,” Kate said, saying it was a problem in her case.

According to a 2023 report from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, 229 survivors logged into the Track Kit system 1,200 times to view their kit’s progress.

The state is paying for it, so it will be free to the city of Phoenix.

“We have our own process. I get it, I get it, I get the idea of wanting to see where your kit is at all times,” Sgt. said Scherer. “We have a process for contacting our detectives and, you know, we’re legally bound by that element of communication.”

Phoenix Police is creating its own monitoring program that provides updates for all crime victims, including information on rape kits.

However, Panas has concerns; He shares emails with Arizona Family that show police saying his show would air this fall and later in January. Arizona Family asked when it would finally start.

“I don’t have a time frame on this. They just started SPIDR Technology“said the ministry.

Kate’s ordeal eventually led her to earn a doctorate in public health. Her thesis focused on the experiences of sexual assault victims.

He could never get justice. “In some ways, even though it wasn’t through the criminal system, it didn’t really work for me,” Kate explained.

Kate founded a non-profit organization called Survivors Rising Helping survivors in the years after an attack. His research helped identify the need, and he is working to meet that need.

Phoenix Police said they outsourced another hundred kits in November and anticipate the backlog will be addressed in the coming months.

But it’s one thing for them to be tested; It’s another thing for the results to come and for the police to act on them. Many survivors say this remains a problem.

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