The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has wrapped up a three year project to process a backlog of sexual assault kits submitted to the department’s lab for DNA testing.
The testing of 8,023 sexual assault kits resulted in nearly 2,000 hits on CODIS (Combined DNA Index System). The database lets federal, state and local law enforcement agencies link crimes and offenders.
“I am proud of our FDLE scientists and law enforcement partners who worked diligently on this project ensuring older sexual assault kits were processed and the results entered into the DNA database,” said FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen in an email to WJCT News. “The more information we have and can share, the stronger the possibility of solving these crimes.”
The effort that began in 2016 also resulted in new procedures designed to prevent future backlogs.
Law enforcement agencies across the state contributed to the database by submitting the sexual assault kits, beginning in 2015.
Here’s the agency-by-agency breakdown:
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