SAN DIEGO – Mara Elliott, Chief Deputy City Attorney of San Diego and the Democratic candidate for San Diego City Attorney Wednesday called on the City of San Diego to eliminate the backlog of untested rape kits collected by law enforcement in the City of San Diego. In the last ten years, nearly 2,000 rape kits have gone untested by the city’s crime lab. A 2014 state audit found that unlike many other cities, the City of San Diego has no policy requiring rape kits to be tested. Last year, only half of all rape kits were tested.
“Today, I’m committing to end the backlog of untested rape kits in San Diego and to push for a comprehensive citywide policy to test all DNA evidence in sexual assault cases,” said Elliott. “Victims of rape deserve justice and the full support of law enforcement. Perpetrators of rape deserve to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“Leaving evidence untested from thousands of reported sexual assaults sends the wrong message to victims of rape. Collecting a rape kit is an ordeal for victims that can take up to four hours. As a city, we need to stand up for victims of sexual assault, not ignore the evidence of crimes against them. That means eliminating the backlog of over 2,000 untested rape kits and testing all DNA evidence from rape kits going forward.
“This is common sense: we should test every rape kit. Testing all the evidence will help solve crimes, bring serial rapists to justice, and protect victims of sexual assault.”
The US Department of Justice has called rape kits an, “essential tool in modern crime fighting” and has dedicated millions in federal grants to local law enforcement agencies to eliminate the backlog in untested rape kits. Victim advocates, like the California Coalition on Sexual Assault, are pushing to eliminate the backlog in untested rape kits nationwide. After a state audit recommended testing all evidence in sexual assault cases, many California law enforcement agencies have instituted policies to test all rape kits.
San Diego’s backlog of untested rape kits has been documented here:
Why Rape Kits Go Untested In San Diego – KPBS, 9/13/16
SDPD Doubles Down on Decision to Leave Some Rape Kits Untested – VOSD, 9/8/16
Disturbing new evidence of backlog of untested rape kits – CBS News, 5/19/15
State audit raises concerns over use of rape kits – 10News, 10/10/14
Mara, you have my vote.