CBI Eliminates Backlog Of Sex Assault Evidence Kits
By Andrea Flores
DENVER (CBS4) - The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is leading the way when it comes to how sexual assault evidence kits are processed across the nation.
A law signed at the Colorado Capitol three years ago appears to have paid off. The CBI has doubled their staff since then, eliminating a backlog of sexual assault evidence and is changing the way it is submitted through their system.
The results of more than 3,500 sexual assault evidence kits are now in the hands of law enforcement agencies across the state, after going untested for years.
A bill passed by the Legislature in 2013 allowed the CBI to eliminate the backlog of kits, and mandated law enforcement agencies to submit kits within 21 days.
"It took thousands of man hours for our scientists to review all of that data, then when they uploaded it, the number of matches we received had to be reported out and sent to law enforcement agencies," CBI Deputy Director Jan Girten said.
Girten told CBS4 her agency was surprised by the high percentage of matches they found.
"The matches may help law enforcement in future arrests or prosecutions, or it may have been information that they already had," said Girten.
Now, Girten says the CBI's time will be better spent solving crimes.
"By working these kits in a timelier fashion, and having them submitted to us so that we can work them, we'll avoid countless numbers of future offenses," Girten said.
Andrea Flores is a reporter for CBS4. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter @AndreaFloresTV.