The Oregon State Police have successfully followed the recommendations of an audit aimed at improving the processing of sexual assault kits, according to a report released Wednesday by the Oregon Secretary of State.
Four years ago, nearly 5,000 untested sexual assault kits sat in storage. The kits can provide forensic evidence that’s key to obtaining convictions. Oregon lawmakers passed a bill in 2016 that served to speed up the processing of the kits, and by last fall, the backlog was largely eliminated.
An audit last year from the Oregon Secretary of State’s office recommended other ways the state police department could improve its handling of the evidence. Among them: publicly post updates on the processing status of the kits, and upgrade the software used to track them.
In a follow-up to that audit, the Secretary of State says the state police are in the process of implementing each of the recommendations. "It is encouraging to see that OSP has followed up on audit recommendations and is working effectively to reduce its backlog of untested sexual assault kits," said Republican Secretary of State Bev Clarno in a statement. "As a result of this work, OSP and their partners have brought long-awaited justice to survivors."
