Task Force Approves Rape Kit Priority List. Questions Remain.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Members of the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) Task Force have approved a priority list for which untested sexual assault evidence kits would be submitted for testing.

A sexual assault evidence kit, also known as a rape kit, is a forensic exam used to collect evidence from a victim of sexual assault. The procedure is performed by a medical professional and is voluntary for victims.

The Task Force agreed that amongst other signifiers the highest priority would be given to kits that are within the statute of limitations and where the suspect is unknown. A preference will be given to the most recent cases in every category.

For those kits beyond the statute of limitations, where a victim had not reported to law enforcement or had requested the kit not be tested the Task Force agreed to set the kits aside unprocessed.

Authorities with the Attorney General’s Office will use the priority list to determine which kits will be submitted for testing by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI).

However, although the Attorney General’s office was able to confirm that 7,287 kits are still currently awaiting testing, staff were unable to confirm what progress is being made in attenuating that backlog. The number of kits being tested each month and the number of new kits being created remain unknown.

Further, by not setting goals for the number of tests being processed during a particular period and by focusing on the most recent cases only, there remains the possibility that older cases might pass beyond the statute of limitations before their kits are tested.

This week state officials remained unable to answer those questions.

In related SAFE news, OSBI’s hiring of Matt Stillwell was also announced at the Task Force meeting. Stilwell, of Edmond, will serve as the administrator overseeing the new rape kit tracking system. He has been with the OSBI since 1994 and most recently served as a toxicology technical manager.

The tracking system, which it is hoped will be in force by February, will be implemented by the OSBI and will allow victims, medical professionals and law enforcement officials to track the status of the rape kits during the testing process.

The Attorney General Hunter said the recent developments were promising, “We are continuing to make headway on eliminating the number of untested kits, while creating a clear roadmap for the future.”

Hunter added, “Our goal is for there to be no more ambiguities in the system. While we have surpassed great milestones together, there is still work to be done on behalf of victims and survivors of sexual assault.”

(Image courtesy Asheville Citizen Times)