Columbus police will analyze untested rape kits under state grant

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohio has awarded the Columbus Division of Police $350,000 to analyze untested rape kits in a series of grants that aim to help with sexual assault investigations and prosecution costs in the state. 

Gov. Mike DeWine announced this month that nearly $900,000 in grants would be awarded to law enforcement, prosecutors and victims advocacy groups to support sexual assault survivors and “hold attackers accountable.” 

The Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Office of Criminal Justice Services awarded The Columbus Division of Police $350,000, the largest amount allocated to an entity in this round of grants. The police department will use the money to partner with the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation and test 175 sexual assault kits, entering suspect profiles into the national DNA database.

According to the Columbus Division of Police's crime lab, they have 637 sexual assault kits awaiting testing, and 69 currently being tested. The department has 1,004 sexual assault reports categorized as active investigations. The testing of 175 sexual assault kits made possible by the grant will assist detectives in solving cases and "ideally" lead to the prosecution of offenders, a Columbus police spokesperson said.

"The overarching goal is to relieve the backlog of kits at the CPD lab using BCI's assistance," the spokesperson said. "This should make future testing of sexual assault kits more timely and reduce future backlog in the interest of justice for the survivors of sexual assault."

The office is awarding the funding as part of the new Ohio Sexual Assault Investigations Grant Program. Funding for the program was secured through the Ohio General Assembly in the operating budget.

DeWine launched the program in February to assist with the costs associated with sexual assault investigations, criminal prosecution and victim advocacy. He said the program builds on a special initiative he launched in 2011 while serving as Ohio’s attorney general, which tested over 13,000 rape kits, many of which that were decades old, from local law enforcement agencies. 

A lack of funding is one of the main reasons rape kits go untested – it costs between $1,000 and $1,500 to test one rape kit, according to nonprofit advocacy group End the Backlog. Additionally, crime labs may have DNA samples from hundreds or even thousands of crime scenes a year, resulting in long turnaround times for evidence. Many police departments lack the resources to investigate or follow up on leads from sexual assault kits, the nonprofit states. 

"Those who commit sexual assault are among the worst of the worst, and we're providing these resources not only to get predators off the streets but also to ensure that survivors have ongoing access to support," DeWine said in a press release.

Other entities that received funding in the program’s first round include:

• The Forensic Nursing Network will receive $244,841.23 to create training programs on sexual assault kits specifically used for victims who may have been drugged or ingested a substance, and suspect kit collection. Funds will also be used to purchase sexual assault kits for use by forensic nurses.
  
• The Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office will receive $161,355.88 to fund a position to investigate leads developed from sexual assault kit testing in child sexual assault cases.
  
• The Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center will receive $100,000 to create a sexual assault kit training program and best practices guide.
  
• The Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office will receive $43,410.57 to fund a victim advocate position to focus on supporting sexual assault survivors who have undergone a sexual assault kit examination.

The Office of Criminal Justice Services is expected to begin taking applications for the next round of funding later this month.