Police Crime Lab update related to backlogged sexual assault kits

Police Crime Lab update related to backlogged sexual assault kits

Published on October 22, 2024

At Tuesday's City of Fort Worth Work Session, the Fort Worth Police Department (FWPD) provided an update to City Council about the current state of the crime lab and the testing of backlogged sexual assault kits.

Why it matters: Currently, there are 779 kits that have been tested and are awaiting review and Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) entry, which compares DNA profiles against numerous known and unknown DNA profiles. There are 190 kits that were mailed out for testing and, of those 190 kits, 116 were over the 90-day timeframe, meaning they have been shipped to a third-party vendor and the Crime Lab is awaiting results. The primary cause of the backlog is the lack of certified staff to perform CODIS review and entry due to five vacancies in the Biology Unit at the City of Fort Worth Crime Lab. There are currently two certified biologists reviewing and entering CODIS information to complete the process.

A law enforcement agency must submit evidence to the lab for analysis no later than 30 days from when the evidence was received, according to Chapter 420 of the Texas Government Code. A department that fails to submit evidence within those 30 days must send a report of the failure to the Department of Public Safety (DPS) on or before the 30^th day. A detailed explanation must also be submitted.

The issue is not with the testing of the sexual assault kits, but with the post-test review and CODIS entry. The FWPD Crime Lab has provided the results of the tested kits to the detectives while the post-test review and CODIS entries are being completed. Prior to completion, detectives are able to share those reports with victims and proceed with prosecution.

FWPD currently has a federal grant for $686,000 to test the kits that are currently backlogged, but is working to add additional vendors for CODIS entry, adding to the current vendors below:

• DNA International
• Signature Science
• BODE
• Tarrant County Medical Examiner

Go deeper: The CODIS database compares the DNA profile against numerous other known and unknown DNA profiles to find a match, which is helpful when the offender is unknown. There are 779 samples and approximately 600 of those samples are being entered into CODIS.

There are 179 kits that don't meet CODIS standards that are being reviewed and closed by several people within FWPD including two technicians currently in training. The lab has plans to have those done in approximately three weeks. The majority of offenders are known by their victim and there is not a requirement to enter those into CODIS for prosecution, but all do get entered into CODIS. Detectives are prioritizing processing the cases with unknown offenders to expedite the process.

"This is a completely unacceptable situation we're in right now. We understand the urgency of correcting this problem and setting things right going forward so we never have to come across a situation like this again. We are looking at every single option available," said Police Chief Neil Noakes. "The survivors of these crimes deserve that from us, and we will accept no less of ourselves."

What's next: The issues related to the Crime Lab will now have oversight from the City Manager's Office, Office of the Police Oversight Monitor (OPOM) and FWPD, with active management elevated to Assistant Chief David Carabajal and Chief Noakes.

FWPD currently has job postings for forensic scientists at various levels that can serve as a solution to process the sexual assault kits internally.

The advantages of operating a Forensic Division are having a laboratory producing high-quality forensic examinations under international and FBI standards for DNA testing and also having a multi-discipline forensic laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art instruments and subject-matter experts in various fields to test evidence. A forensic lab also allows the department to maintain control and preservation of evidence without requiring shipment and outsourcing. This would allow for easy communication with FWPD detectives and the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office.

FWPD accomplished 102 cases last week and expects the backlog for these final steps to be completed by early 2025. The department will also re-evaluate the timeline to eliminate the backlog of outstanding cases.

The DNA scientist is encouraged to work overtime to complete CODIS entries and FWPD will continue to seek contract employees to assist with CODIS entry and backlog.

Another Work Session update will be provided on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Get articles like this in your inbox.Subscribe to City News.

Tagged as:

• Community Safety