The city of Fort Worth is among a trio of North Texas entities receiving federal funds to reduce DNA testing delays after a period in October. NBC DFW investigation revealed that the police had a stockpile of more than 900 sexual assault evidence kits.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said in a news release that Fort Worth, the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth and Tarrant County have collectively received $2.18 million from the Capacity Building Program for reducing the expectations of the Department of Justice. Prizes authorized through Cornyn’s Debbie Smith Law.

Sexual assault kits are used to collect evidence from the body and clothing of survivors of rape or sexual assault. The kits are turned over to a law enforcement agency to be recorded as evidence and sent to a crime lab. A kit is considered overdue when it remains untested after 30 days.

“DNA analysis is an essential tool used to identify perpetrators, exonerate innocent suspects and solve cases,” Cornyn said in the release. “I’m proud of the work we’ve done to reduce the backlog of DNA testing over the years, but I won’t rest until every victim and family in Texas has the answers they seek and the justice they deserve. deserve.”

When it was revealed that the Fort Worth crime lab had missed state deadlines for testing hundreds of sexual assault evidence kits, Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes responsibility for the errors of his department and promised decisive action. One November 5th updateNoakes said the backlog had been reduced to 708, 190 fewer than the previous month. His department was working to fill vacant forensic science positions that contributed to the problem, Noakes said.

In recent years, the forensics lab has been embroiled in controversy. It was the subject more investigations by the Texas Forensic Science Commission of 2020, as well as a warning process submitted by a former employee. The suit was settled for $850,000 in April.

These controversies, along with the existing backlog, have raised questions about the future of the forensics lab. For now, Noakes said the lab will focus on backlog cases while the Tarrant Medical Examiner’s Office takes on new cases. Fort Worth received a total of $689,620 in federal funds, while Tarrant County received $516,863.

This isn’t the first time Cornyn has helped direct these funds to North Texas. In 2023, Fort Worth, the University of North Texas Health Science Center and Tarrant County received a total of $2.09 million through the same program. In 2022, the same entities received a total of 2.04 million dollars.

During his tenure, Cornyn led the charge to pass four laws aimed at easing the national backlog, including Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting Act.

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence, it is not your fault. You are not alone. Help is available 24/7 through the National Sexuality Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE or visit Online hotliney en español en RAINN.

This article first appeared on The Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.