Tampa officials want state to address rape test kit backlog

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Hillsborough County commissioners voted to send Gov. Rick Scott a letter urging him to push the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to review all untested rape kits.

The Tampa Bay Times (http://bit.ly/1IVdzKE) reports commissioners say the tests could help prove the innocence of inmates convicted of rape and have the potential to help solve cold cases.

The FDLE confirmed in November there are more than 10,000 untested rape kits, but they lack the resources and workers to test them.

Scott requested funding from lawmakers to speed up the testing of incoming evidence, but his budget released in November didn’t include any new monies for FDLE to address the backlog of older kits. The House is weighing a bill that would require the kits be tested by mid-2017.