TALLAHASSEE – There are more than 13,000 Florida rape kits sitting untested, creating an alarming backlog and calls from elected officials to solve the problem. Lawmakers who are trying to tackle the issue say it starts with testing new kits in a timely manner.
Thousands of rape kits should be tested in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. But a backlog in testing is potentially keeping criminals on the streets.
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"This is intended to make sure that, going forward, all kits that are collected are tested and submitted in a timely manner and tested in a timely manner," Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto said.
Benacquisto's bill, which cleared the Senate Criminal Justice committee Monday, would require law enforcement to submit rape kits within 21 days of examination.
"I just thank you for the opportunity to move this bill forward and to send a very strong message to victims that the evidence that will bring their victimizers to justice matters," Benacquisto said.
Advocates say the bill is needed to prevent another backlog. Jennifer Dritt of the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence said fixing the current backlog and preventing another one are two separate, but connected, issues.
"You can’t just process the backlog you currently have," Dritt said. "You have to ensure that it doesn’t happen going forward."
The amount of money put into the budget will determine how many of the kids can be analyzed.
"You’ve seen Chair (Joe) Negron be very aggressive to make sure that we have the funding that we need to clear that backlog and it’s done in a much shorter timeline," Benacquisto said.
Each kit costs between $1,000 and $1,500 to be tested, and the FDLE estimates that it could take up to eight years to clear the backlog. Some lawmakers have called that timeline "unacceptable."