Gov. Rod Blagojevich vowed Tuesday to find up to $3 million in a tight budget to clear a three-year backlog of DNA evidence collected from 1,500 rape victims that has not been analyzed.
The governor said the money would be used to train and hire more scientists at the Illinois State Police Crime Lab that has nine offices across the state.
The move comes after a Chicago Tribune article Sunday reported that a group of women were seeking to raise money to have the rape kits analyzed by private labs. Police and rape-victim activists said that tight budgets, conflicting priorities and increasing demand for DNA testing had led to the backlog.
The group, called the Women’s DNA Initiative, is headed by Sheri Mecklenburg, the chief counsel to Chicago Police Supt. Philip Cline. Mecklenburg said fundraising efforts would continue as the state searches for the money.
The kits hold traces of DNA left by attackers that can lead to a suspect when compared to national databases of offenders. When New York City cleared a backlog of 17,000 cases, it led to 107 arrests.
Where the money will come from remains to be determined.
The announcement was applauded by Sasha Walters, of Rape Victim Advocates, a Chicago counseling center.
“The survivors might see their cases going to trial more often or they may be frustrated, because their kits have been on a shelf somewhere,” Walters said.
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Compiled from RedEye news services
