After a sexual assault occurs, forensic evidence is collected at a medical facility by a nurse or other medical professional. They package the evidence into a sexual assault kit, and send it to law enforcement organizations for testing. Testing these kits in a timely manner can help resolve crimes and ensure justice is served.
The Washington State Patrol is responsible for testing all sexual assault kits statewide. The agency can have tests performed at one of its crime labs or by contracting with a private lab. State Patrol also manages the statewide sexual assault kit tracking system. This system, established in 2018, provides more transparency around the testing process, particularly for survivors.
Washington’s backlog of untested sexual assault kits has been a long-standing concern for survivors, their families and advocates, law enforcement agencies and lawmakers. In 2019, the state Legislature increased funding for testing. At the same time, it set a deadline to test historical kits. It required the State Patrol to send kits to private labs for testing by Dec. 1, 2021. Lawmakers also required our Office to conduct a performance audit of the Washington State Patrol’s Crime Laboratory and sexual assault kit tracking program in 2022.
Read a two-page summary of the report.