Fort Worth police say they are close to clearing a massive backlog of hundreds of sexual assault kits uncovered in a series of reports last fall by 온라인카지노사이트 5 Investigates.
In our series Justice Shelved, 온라인카지노사이트 5 Investigates reported that Fort Worth police failed to follow state law for processing sexual assault evidence kits more than 900 times. After the report, Fort Worth police set an aggressive deadline to clear the backlog by April 2025. According to new numbers provided by the Fort Worth Police Department, they are on the verge of reaching that goal.
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Texas state law requires sexual assault evidence kits to be processed within 90 days. The kits can provide crucial DNA evidence in rape cases and help police identified serial rapists by connecting their DNA to multiple cases.
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SIGN UP Revelations of a rape kit backlog set off a wave of concern among city leaders. District 9 City Councilwoman Elizabeth Beck said the department had failed victims of sexual assaults by not processing rape kits so they could be used as evidence in court.
During a November council briefing, Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes issued a strong apology to victims saying, "And they are pissed off and they should be. I am pissed off."
To clear the more than 900 rape kits in the backlog, the police department hired more crime lab analysts and outsourced other evidence kits to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The department told 온라인카지노사이트 5 Investigates that, at last count, it had reduced the backlog to just 66 remaining kits and was on track to eliminate it in the rapid six-month time frame the department set last fall.
“The speed was expected because the light was shining on them. They pulled, we pulled the veil out,” said Latrice Godfrey.
Godfrey spoke out in 온라인카지노사이트 5’s first report revealing the backlog. Her sexual assault evidence sat on a shelf for 11 months before being processed. She said she appreciated the apologies from police, but with Noakes set to retire soon, she wondered what the department would do to ensure sexual assault survivors aren't let down in the future.
“What happens when the veil goes back up? And we move past this story and we're on to the next story? Is this going to happen again? And what is it that you guys are going to do to prevent it?” asked Godfrey.
At one point, the city's crime lab was so short-staffed that it had been unable to process sexual assault evidence for months. In interviews, Noakes insisted that additional oversight and changes made inside the crime lab would prevent recurring problems.
“We are absolutely committed, not just to correcting this problem, but making sure going forward we never end up in this situation again,” Noakes in an interview with 온라인카지노사이트 5 last fall.
In a new statement, the department told 온라인카지노사이트 5 that policy changes would ensure deadlines are met: "All incoming cases received by the Fort Worth Crime Laboratory are sent within a week of receipt to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office."
If there are delays, the department said police detectives will inform victims and that it is committed to "accountability and transparency for the crime lab and the detectives."
The Texas law that created the 90-day rape kit testing deadline is named for Lavinia Masters. After reporting an assault as a child in Dallas, her evidence kit sat on a shelf for 21 years before her attacker was identified.
Masters said delays in her case made her feel forgotten by investigators. She said Fort Worth police can rebuild trust with sexual assault victims by working with survivors through their recovery and by keeping them informed throughout the investigation.
"Just be there with them," Masters said. “Are you making sure they're getting the resources they deserve? What are you doing above and beyond? That's my mindset now. You should go above and beyond for every survivor that you have holding on those shelves there in that city."
The Fort Worth City Council is expected to meet next week to get an update on the status of the remaining 66 evidence kits.
