With a backlog of rape test results awaiting review, Spokane Police are moving to allow detectives to work overtime

The Spokane Police Department is hoping to continue their work to investigate the results of previously untested sexual assault kits.

The city is expected to urge the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs to double their funding so the Spokane Police Department can devote more resources to the cause.

Spokane’s review of the cases is part of a broader Washington-wide initiative to test lagged sexual assault kits, which peaked at more than 10,000 nationwide, and investigate the results.

The city of Spokane has sent 711 sexual assault kits to state laboratories for testing, and the results have steadily declined. Commonly referred to as “rape kits,” they are made up of physical evidence gathered in the hours following a person’s report of sexual assault.

There are myriad reasons the police may not have submitted a sexual assault kit for testing. However, in recent years state law has mandated that all new and retarded sexual assault kits be presented to Washington State Patrol laboratories for testing.

When the results are returned, the police must check them for possible clues in often lengthy cases.

The evidence gathered in most kits is inconsistent with a sample logged in the federal CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), a DNA database. However, many require additional attention from investigators and may alert the police to the perpetrator.

So far, testing the lagged sexual assault kits in the city has resulted in around 90 CODIS matches.

Spokane received a $ 45,618 scholarship earlier this year to use a sergeant to review test results and fund Lutheran Community Services’ victim support services.

The grant paid up to 100 hours of overtime for the sergeant and detective assigned to the cases as they sort through the test results and determine which ones should be followed up by investigators.

The department continuously worked through the results returned by the state, but the task was more intense than the city expected.

“We have a much more realistic picture of the scope of the work and it has got us to the point where we apply for additional grant money to give us the flexibility to do all that work and not have to stop because we run out of funding “Said department spokeswoman Julie Humphreys.

The city plans to apply for an additional $ 44,515 grant that will fund about 640 hours of extra overtime for civil servants – about 20 hours of overtime for a sergeant and detective per week for the remainder of the program.

According to police estimates, they could do an initial check of around 90% of CODIS games by the end of June.