County Council approves funding to address untested rape kits

The Metropolitan King County Council Monday gave its unanimous approval to provide $200,000 in funding for sexual assault experts in the King County Sheriff’s office to identify the exact number of untested rape kits that remain in King County, prioritize those cases for testing, and submit them to the State Patrol Crime Laboratory for processing.

“This is the right thing to do, and as we’ve seen across the country, this work often results in arrests and convictions of serial rapists and other criminals,” said Councilmember Rod Dembowski, the prime sponsor of the legislation. “It sends a clear message to victims of sexual assault – you matter, what happened to you matters, and we take your case seriously.”

Rape kits are intended for use immediately after a sexual assault has occurred, but once the evidence has been collected, it can sit in storage for years. Across the country, thousands of rape kits – DNA evidence collected by a health care professional after a sexual assault – go untested each year. In jurisdictions like New York City, Dallas and Tacoma, the analysis of previously untested rape kits has led to the identification of new offenders, linking of serial cases, and exoneration of the wrongly convicted.

This year, the Washington State Legislature passed House Bill 1068, requiring all new rape kits to be submitted for testing to the Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory within 30 days of being collected by law enforcement.

“The goal of this law is two-fold: justice for the victims whose lives were dramatically impacted by sexual violence, and help for law enforcement to catch serial rapists before they strike again,” said Rep. Tina Orwall, sponsor of House Bill 1068.