At Indiana Senate's urging, State Police to audit untested rape kits

Indiana State Police has agreed to audit untested sexual assault kits throughout the state and determine reasons why they were not tested.

An IndyStar and USA TODAY Network investigation in 2015 identified at least 70,000 kits containing evidence from rape, sexual battery and similar crimes that had never been tested nationwide. In Marion County, more than 5,000 sexual assault kits collected since 2000 had never been tested. In Tippecanoe County, at least 148 kits never were tested.

Each kit represents an individual named as a victim of sexual assault. The kits contain forensic evidence, such as clothing, fingernail scrapings and swabs from various parts of an individual’s body, gathered through an invasive and intensely personal exam that takes about three hours.

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State senators adopted a resolution Wednesday that urged state police to conduct a statewide audit and submit a report to the legislature by Dec. 1.

Sen. Michael Crider, R-Greenfield, who authored the resolution, said the report would be used to help develop strategies on handling rape kits in the future.

"When the audit is complete, it’s our hope to learn more about why there is a backlog on testing these kits," Crider said. "It’s my goal to stop this problem before it gets any worse and get ourselves in a better place going forward."

A number of victims’ advocates have been pushing for testing of all kits.

Capt. David Bursten, a state police spokesman, said the agency will connect with other law enforcement agencies and prosecutors throughout the state to determine the best method to compile the information on untested kits and provide a report to the legislative council.

Bursten said state police won't know how many years of kits will be reviewed until after the analysis is complete.

Call IndyStar reporter Marisa Kwiatkowski at (317) 444-6135. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyMarisaK.