January 30, 2018
Carson City, NV – Today, Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt released a report sent to Nevada’s Legislature chronicling the progress of his statewide Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Working Group. The Working Group, chaired by AG Laxalt, is a regularly convening group formed in March of 2015 to develop strategies and best practices to complete the analysis of untested sexual assault kits. The group collectively addresses policy matters associated with testing of the kits for local governments including: victim notification, statewide training, resources for victims, testing of sexual assault kits collected in connection with a crime, entering all eligible DNA profiles into CODIS, following up on investigative leads, identification of subjects, prosecuting cases associated with these kits, collecting data for academic research, and identifying statewide resources, processes and legislation to prevent future backlogs.
The submitted report provides historical background on the State’s backlog of nearly 8,000 untested sexual assault kits, a summary of the progress made under AG Laxalt’s leadership, and an update on significant developments within the initiative between July and December of 2017. The report also includes statistics on the number of backlogged kits tested, DNA profiles logged, Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) hits obtained, arrest warrants issued, arrests made, and prosecutions initiated by county district attorneys.
“I am proud of the immense progress we’ve made to eliminate the decades-old backlog,” said Laxalt. “As the Chairman of Nevada’s Sexual Assault Kit Working Group, I want to express my deepest appreciation to the committee members and legislators who remain dedicated to justice for survivors of sexual assault.”
A copy of the report is attached.
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