FRANKFORT (KNN) – Kentucky has finally tested all of the rape kits that were part of a massive backlog of DNA evidence.
Laura Dudkamp, director of the Kentucky State Police crime lab gave lawmakers an update in Frankfort on Friday morning.
A 2015 inventory found more than 3,000 untested rape kits throughout Kentucky.
Thanks to a law passed last year, all of those DNA samples have finally been tested.
“It should all come together in December and start working cases in the new space with the new equipment and the new people, so we think we should start cranking out the cases early in the winter and get the backlog turned down,” Sudkamp said.
Sudkamp said they have tested the entire rape kit backlog and are beginning to turn their attention to reopening cases.
The rape kits contain DNA samples collected from sexual assault victims.
They sat untested on evidence shelves for decades until the 2016 law required them to be tested.
Since then, 356 cases have been submitted to a national database and 240 of those have been linked to offenders.
Sudkamp said work is being slowed by low pay for state crime lab workers. Many are leaving for other states, or withdrawing their job applications.
“Actually, we had someone reply back that said, ‘I work at Walmart and I need a pay increase, which I won’t get through your position in order to pay my school loans,’” Sudkamp said.
Sudkamp said the lab is on track to meet a new requirement that they be able to test rape kits within 90 days by 2018 and within 60 days by 2020.