Lack of funding slows Utah’s rape kit testing

SALT LAKE CITY — The backlog of untested rape kits is growing in Utah even after state lawmakers passed a law in 2017 to address the issue, in part because of a lack of money to hire an adequate number of technicians.

The state crime lab asked for $2.4 million for 17 technicians but received $1.2 million to hire nine technicians, said Amy Lightfoot, the deputy director of the crime lab, KUTV-TV in Salt Lake City reports.

“Unfortunately, what you’re looking at there is the result of a partially funded mandate,” Lightfoot said.

The backlog sits at about 1,900 rape kits now, and it is expected to grow to 3,300 by the summer of 2020, she said. The lab receives about 120 kits each month.

She said the number of rape kits sent in has increased by 535 percent over the past six years.

“We take it very personally that every one of those rape kits represents a person and their story and some traumatic event,” Lightfoot said. “I don’t know that there’s anything I can say that makes that situation OK. I don’t think it’s OK.”

When Utah lawmaker passed the law to speed up rape kit testing, legislators talked about it being a high priority and called the situation an emergency.

The law set a goal for how fast each rape kit should be tested, but only eight out of 1,001 tests since then has met the deadline.

Former Utah Speaker of the House Greg Hughes said some bills get less money until there is justification more money is needed.

“The fact that it was funded meant that it was a priority, it’s just that it’s competing with so many pressing needs,” Hughes said.