Which Way, L.A.?
Sheriff’s Department Has Backlog of Untested Rape Kits
In recent weeks, LAPD Chief William Bratton conceded that DNA evidence in 7,000 rape cases was stored in freezers without being examined. Additional staff will be hired and private labs will be paid to clear up the backlog. Now it turns out that the Sheriff's Department of LA County has stored untested DNA from 5,635 cases.
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readIn recent weeks, LAPD Chief William Bratton conceded that DNA evidence in 7,000 rape cases was stored in freezers without being examined. Additional staff will be hired and private labs will be paid to clear up the backlog. Now it turns out that the Sheriff's Department of LA County has stored untested DNA from 5,635 cases. Nobody knows how many cases have gone unsolved, how many rapists have gone free or how many innocent people have been convicted. Maybe the evidence wasn't needed at all. We talk with Sheriff Lee Baca and others.
