LAPD says it's cleared backlog of rape kits

Los Angeles Police Department officials Wednesday said they’ve cleared a backlog of untested DNA evidence collected in sexual assault cases.

Police Chief Charlie Beck said the department’s sorted and tested thousands of years-old rape kits containing DNA evidence.

“We are one of only a handful of big American cities that can even come close to making this claim," Beck said.

Three years ago, former Chief Bill Bratton ordered the crime lab to address the backlog after pressure from victims’ rights groups.

Beck said he was unsure of the number of arrests that resulted from the review, but that they numbered in the "dozens."

"I feel like this is a milestone in the history of the city that we have eliminated this backlog," said Gail Abarbanel, director of the Rape Treatment Center at the UCLA-Santa Monica Medical Center.

While officials touted their accomplishment, they conceded that crime lab staff has struggled to keep up with DNA evidence that comes in from new sexual assaults. Detectives may have to wait months to get test results.

“It's frustrating. It’s a public safety issue," Abarbanel said.

“We recognize that there’s still a lot of work to accomplish," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said.

Despite a budget crisis and citywide hiring freeze, the mayor hopes to add more staff to the LAPD crime lab.

Barbanel said there are "huge" backlogs of rape kits in police freezers across the country.

"This is metaphor of how rape victims have been discounted in the criminal justice system," she said.

While rape cases are down in Los Angeles, Abarbanel said three to four new victims show up at her center every day.