LAS VEGAS (AP) — Thousands of sexual assault kits have been tested in Nevada, but thousands remain in a backlog that is taking years to reduce.
The Las Vegas Sun reported Tuesday that the Attorney General's Office says more than 3,400 kits have been tested out of 6,473 from 1985 to 2014 in Southern Nevada.
Kim Murga, director of the Metro Police DNA Lab, said that as officials work to clear the backlog, they still have about 500 new kits that come in each year.
Daniele Dreitzer, executive director of The Rape Crisis Center, said nationwide efforts to reduce the backlog has spread through Department of Justice grants. Federal grants totaling nearly $5 million have been awarded to Nevada from the Bureau of Justice Assistance's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.