TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL)- A new law went into effect on July 1 requiring law enforcement to submit sexual assault kits within 30 days of the start of their investigations to a state crime lab.
The lab must test them within 120 days.
This comes after an audit revealed a backlog of more than 13,000 sexual assault kits in January.
Following the audit, the state fully funded the Florida Department of Law Enforcement when it came to the agency's labs, so they could increase salaries for lab analysts and enhance forensic services.
FDLE says the funding will help speed up processing times at the labs to avoid a backlog from happening again.
"Our hope is, as it always is when we process evidence for local agencies, that we're able to provide really good leads to the local detectives working the cases that will allow them to further the case," said FDLE spokesperson Gretl Plessinger.
As for the existing backlog, local law enforcement agencies identified 8,600 sexual assault kits that should be submitted to FDLE labs. State lawmakers approved $2.3 million dollars to begin processing these kits.
FDLE says it could take up to three years to complete.
