Minneapolis Police Find 1,700 Untested Rape Kits In Storage

MINNEAPOLIS — Mayor Jacob Frey and officials of the Minneapolis Police Department announced Friday that an audit of the police storage determined there are 1,700 untested sexual assault exam kits dating back over 30 years. That number is up from 194 untested kits found in a 2015 audit.

"We had a failure in terms of the auditing process of those kits," Chief Medaria Arradondo, who was appointed in 2017, said in a news conference. "That is unacceptable."

Arradondo admitted the he doesn't know how the kits went missing, but said he will work to make sure it never happens again.

Following the discovery, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman agreed to help the Minneapolis police by funding an additional DNA analyst to expedite the testing of these kits.

In addition, the county attorney’s office said it understands that victims may have questions about the untested kits and the criminal investigation into their assault.

If so, they may contact the following individuals:

• Hennepin County Attorney’s Office’s sexual assault victim advocate Vernona Boswell, (612) 348-6592.
• Sexual Violence Center advocate Liliana, (612) 871-5100, ext.19 or the crisis line at 612-871-5111.

In 2018, a new went into effect that aimed to reform the way sexual assault examination kits are handled, provide clarity to law enforcement, and empower victims in these cases.

The law came after a 2015 audit done by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension found a statewide backlog of nearly 3,500 untested kits including some involving open cases.

According to a news release from the office of Rep. Drew Christensen, co-author of the law, the measure:

• Requires law enforcement to retrieve an unrestricted sexual assault examination kit (meaning the patient has authorized law enforcement to submit the kit to a forensic laboratory for testing) within 10 days of notice, and submit that kit for testing within 60 days
• Makes clear that the kit does not have to be tested if it’s believed to not have evidentiary value in a case (if there is a confession, for example), but still requires law enforcement to make a record with the county attorney on why the kit did not add evidentiary value
• Ensures victims are more easily able to track their kits through the system, requiring law enforcement to respond within 30 days to requests from victims about when their kit was submitted to a lab and whether a DNA profile was obtained from testing
• Requires law enforcement agencies to provide liaison services between the victim, agency and lab, helping victims more easily navigate what can be a complicated and overwhelming system
• Creates clear procedures for victims who may choose to come forward at a later date with testing and reclassify their kit from restricted to unrestricted