Nearly 700 Profile Matches After CBI Clears 3,500 Backlogged Sex Assault Kits
ARVADA, Colo. (CBS4) - The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has caught up on a three-year backlog of sex assault kits. The kits have been tested and results were sent to law enforcement.
It puts investigators closer to solving hundreds of cases. Testing the kits is just the first step in bringing justice to the victims.
The CBI is basically one piece of the puzzle -- they don't actually track the cases. What they do is a lot of the testing. They had 51 profile matches that were dispersed to various law enforcement agencies across the state for investigation, and those very well could result in charges.
At least two cases resulted in charges because of the investigation and because of the cleared backlogs. The Greeley police chief talked about a sex assault case from 1984 that resulted in charges for two men, but because of the statute of limitations they could only be charged with kidnapping.
There's still a lot of work to do. The sex assault kits -- 3,500 in total -- were backlogged. They were dispersed to four states for testing. It took two years at a cost of $3.5 million. That backlog is now gone and of those 3,500, 691 resulted in profile matches.
"A portion of these investigative matches were already known to law enforcement, while the others may have produced new investigative opportunities for our law enforcement partners," said Jan Girten, CBI Deputy Director.
To avoid getting backlogs again, a new law requires law enforcement to submit sex assault kits within 21 days. Because of the new law, the CBI says they've had three times the amount of sex assault kits submitted.