Lake County Unveils New Rules For Rape Kits
CHICAGO (CBS) -- 2,560.
That's the number of rape kits that should have been tested in Indiana through last year but were not.
Hundreds of them were in Lake County.
That's where on Wednesday officials there unveiled new rules to stop a backlog from happening again.
They include requiring police to pick up a rape kit within three days of being notified by the hospital.
And bringing it to the state police lab within 30 days.
Officials vowed to test every rape kit from identified victims since January 1, 2008.
"If we're testing kits from the past decade we're certainly hoping that that will help increase our cases that we're able to prosecute," says Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Nadia Wardrip. "And then ultimately hold those perpetrators accountable."
Survivors who had a rape kit done before January 2008 and want to test it can contact the Fair Haven Rape Crisis Center before Monday August 6th.