Kaul: Testing complete on thousands of sexual-assault kits

By: Associated Press//November 20, 2019//

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Attorney General Josh Kaul says testing is finally finished on thousands of unanalyzed kits for sexual-assault evidence.

Kaul said on Wednesday that testing is finished for all 4,471 kits designated for analysis. The state Justice Department started analyzing the kits in 2016. The testing has resulted in a dozen criminal cases so far.

Kaul also announced Wisconsin has won a $1.8 million federal grant to continue investigating cases related to the testing and pay for a kit-tracking system.

Tens of thousands of kits for sexual-assault evidence have gone untested in the United States for a variety of reasons. Prosecutors may have decided a case was too weak to pursue or been forced to drop cases because victims won’t cooperate.

Victim advocates have been pushing since 2014 to analyze the kits to identify serial offenders.

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