Florida has backlog of 13,000-plus untested rape kits

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Florida has a backlog of more than 13,000 rape kits that have not been tested or submitted for processing, and managing them could cost the state tens of millions of dollars and take several years, according to a report released today.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted the $300,000 study on the number of untested kits and will present its findings to the Legislature.

Backlogs of untested rape kits have been an issue across the U.S. In September, federal officials said an estimated 70,000 rape kits sitting in laboratories and evidence collection rooms across the country would be tested with a combined $79 million in federal and New York City funds.

Of the 13,345 rape kits in Florida that have gone untested, authorities said in today's report that 9,484 should have been submitted. The FDLE recommends testing all kits "in the interest of public safety."

The most common reason the kits weren't tested, the report says, was that the victim decided not to proceed with the investigation. That was the case in 41 percent of the untested kits. In 31 percent of the kits, the state attorney's office declined to prosecute. Other reasons included a suspect's guilty plea, a victim's death, or a victim who declined to file a police report.

Clearing the backlog will take time and money.