Federal Grants To Help Clear State’s Backlog On Rape Kits

Wisconsin is getting $4 million in federal grants to test a backlog of rape kits sitting in police evidence lockers across the state.

Wisconsin has 6,000 rape kits stuck in police evidence rooms and hospitals. Now, the state Department of Justice is changing its policy to have them all tested.

Jill Karofsky, the director of the Office of Crime Victim Services, said a $2 million federal grant will pay overtime at the State Crime Lab as rape kits are processed. A second grant will pay for prosecuting cases based on the new evidence.

“We’ve taken steps to ensure that we don’t have untested kits in the future, and we’re doing a lot to make sure that doesn’t happen. So, this hopefully will be the only time we’re in the situation we’re in now,” she said.

Karofsky said some of the rape kits could be up to 10 years old. She said that Justice Department officials will begin testing backlogged kits this fall.