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Public Safety

SDPD's Rape Kit Backlog Testing Underway

Vials of evidence in a sexual assault case are labeled and sorted at the Houston Forensic Science Center, April 2, 2015.
Associated Press
Vials of evidence in a sexual assault case are labeled and sorted at the Houston Forensic Science Center, April 2, 2015.
A state audit mandated by a 2018 law found that the SDPD had the most untested rape kits of any large California police department — 1,627. The department says testing is in progress, and the first results are expected this week.

A new state audit found that the San Diego Police Department has more untested rape kits than any other law enforcement agency in California — 1,627.

State law requires that evidence from every sexual assault exam since 2016 be tested.

Last year, Voice of San Diego found that the SDPD had decided to treat some old rape kits differently by testing them less rigorously to address the backlog. But the department changed its policy after criticism from San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan.

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SDPD now says the kits have been sent for testing to a third-party lab. The department expects all the results in two years.

Andrew Keatts joined KPBS Midday Edition on Monday to share the details of his reporting.

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