SEATTLE- Washington state will receive $3 million in federal grant funding to help get through a backlog of thousands of untested rape kits and create a team to investigate the sexual assaults.
The Seattle Times reports the grant money from the U.S. Department of Justice's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative is part of $34 million awarded to 20 jurisdictions across the country.
Half of the money will fund the testing of 2,100 rape kits out of the estimated 6,000 that are untested statewide. The kits contain forensic evidence collected from a victim's clothing and body, and they cost about $700 each to analyze.
The remaining money will be distributed over three years to fund an investigative team that will gather a detailed inventory of the untested kits.
