Idaho State Police officials say significant progress has been made on clearing Idaho’s backlog of untested sexual assault kits, but the state crime lab still is not meeting a mandate to conduct tests within an average of three months.
In an update to lawmakers this week, ISP Forensic Services Director Matthew Gamette said the agency is working to speed up the testing process as new kits are submitted to the lab on top of the backlog.
The lab is working to utilize techniques that quickly determine whether kits contain any DNA from a potential attacker, allowing the lab to process more kits and run more extensive tests on the ones that may yield vital evidence.
Gamette said the lab is not yet complying with state legislation that calls for testing to be conducted within 90 days on average from the time a kit is submitted to the lab when police receive the results.
The lab currently has about 600 kits to test. (AP)
