The Fort Worth Police Department has cleared its backlog of more than 900 sexual assault kits, through an NBC 5 investigation.
There were 898 sexual assault kits that had been tested as of Oct. 11, but they had not been entered into the federal Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, Police Chief Neil Noakes said during Tuesday's Fort Worth City Council meeting.
By Oct. 18, 190 additional kits were mailed out for testing but went over the 90-day requirement for entry.
Noakes attributed the backlog to a lack of certified staff to perform the CODIS review and entry. The department only had two certified DNA scientists out of the seven positions that needed to be filled.
"What we hope, with this completion of catching up with the backlog and making sure we never get there again, is that we build some of that trust and that confidence back and let those survivors know that we are completely committed to seeking justice, to fulfilling our responsibility with their cases, and helping them with their recovery process," Noakes said.
To get the backlog cleared, the department gave performance-based bonuses, offered a $5,000 sign-on bonus for new-hire DNA analysts, and gave an 8.5% pay increase for forensic scientists to improve recruitment and retention.
The department also worked to streamline testing priorities, separate sexual assault DNA submissions from property crimes and remove testing cases in which the suspect pleaded guilty.
The department will continue to outsource testing of its sexual assault kits until newly hired personnel are completely certified through the FBI, but it is transitioning into in-house processing, Noakes said. The goal is to train certified lab personnel to handle sexual assault kit testing internally to enhance efficiency and accountability.
Council member Elizabeth Beck said during Tuesday's meeting that clearing the backlog was key in helping repair the trust between the city and sexual assault victims.
"Thank you for making a priority and really getting out there," Beck said. "Not just correcting the backlog, but the way that you communicated with the victims of these crimes so that they knew exactly where they stood was also a big part of this."
Got a tip? Email Megan Cardona at mcardona@kera.org.
四虎影院 is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider . Thank you!
