Progress is being made to clear Fort Worth’s massive backlog of rape kits, the police chief says

FORT WORTH, Texas – The Fort Worth Police Department says it is working to get more help to manage the massive backlog of evidence in the rape kit.

Last October, the department was dealing with a backlog of almost 900 cases of sexual violence.

With the help of the Tarrant County Medical Examiner, police have been able to make progress.

“We were able to reduce that number from 898 by 190 to 708,” Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes explained.

The department continues efforts to urgently resolve the problem, which the chief says stems from a shortage of staff at its crime lab that processes DNA samples from sexual assault victims after they are collected at a hospital.

Chief Noakes says he is optimistic the positions will be filled soon.

“What really encourages us is that we have eight positions for forensic scientists. We just closed five of them. And we’re doing interviews now. 39 people had applied,” the chef told FOX 4 on Wednesday.

“I want to know, has our delay, our failure to do so, jeopardized the judicial process of any of these cases?” asked Fort Worth City Councilwife Gyna Bivens during Tuesday’s council meeting.

“Our understanding is no,” Noakes said. “And our discussions have taken place with the district attorney’s office.”

Following criticism from some council members about transparency, the chief answered questions about the backlog during an update at the city’s work session.

Noakes points out that other steps have been taken, including a settlement with the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office. It will handle testing of new sexual assault kits that come in while the department’s lab works to clear the backlog. He also explained a new department policy to keep victims informed.

“We are contacting any survivors who may be affected by this to let them know what is happening, and we require a note from an investigator in the file indicating that that contact has been made,” he said. said. “We are absolutely going to tackle this head-on and we will do this well.”

The Fort Worth Police Oversight Office will also monitor the department’s progress.