Jackson Falconer
TALLAHASSEE – More than 13,000 rape kits in Florida are still in need of testing, according to
a report released Monday by the state's Department of Law Enforcement.
The $300,000 study, which was ordered by the Florida Legislature in 2015, found that law enforcement agencies across the state had inventories that counted toward a total of 13,435 kits that had not been submitted for testing.
The steep backlog of kits means clearing all with tests will take up to nine years, and a maximum of $32 million in FLDE funding. Testing a single kit's DNA can cost as much as $1,000.
In September, state Attorney General Pam Bondi
recommended that all kits be tested.
"We have the potential to solve cold cases and lock up sexual predators and make Florida the safest place to live and raise a family," she said.
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