If you or someone close to you (in my case) has ever been the victim of a sexual assault or rape, you will be glad to learn of this week’s introduction into the U.S. Congress of the Debbie Smith Act/DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act of 2003. Although rape is on the decline, there are still more than 80,000 completed rapes per year in America. In virtually every single one of these crimes, a DNA sample which can provide positive identification of the rapist and lead to his conviction is left behind as legal evidence. However, the record of law enforcement and governments in the 20th Century to use this evidence has been disappointing to say the least. DNA testing of police department “rape kits” has been spotty at best due primarily to the $500 to $1000 processing cost per kit, and has resulted in a huge national backlog of an estimated 500,000 untested kits – each one a solvable yet unsolved crime.

A growing national furor over the advancement of DNA technology, and the failure to use it for social progress in this area, has resulted in a number of notable efforts. A foundation called the National Rape Evidence Project (NREP) has been established to gather private donations and redistribute them to local police departments who apply for funding to reduce or eliminate their rape kit backlog. This backlog in New York City alone reached a peak of 16,000 kits which was eliminated beginning in 2000 with $25 million in annual funding provided by the DNA Backlog Elimination Act of 2000. “The progress New York City has made in cutting the rape kit backlog is nothing short of remarkable, and I applaud the hard working men and women of the New York Police Department for their efforts,” said Rep. Anthony Weiner, who sponsored that bill. “But DNA evidence is our best tool for catching dangerous criminals, and we’ve got to do more to ensure that police have the resources they need to use it. Otherwise, victims and their families are left to wait for justice, while those who attacked them evade responsibility.”

The Debbie Smith Act (S.152) would basically expand the successful New York State program into a national effort to provide a coordinated attack on the national rape kit backlog. Another New York pol, Rep. Jerrold Nadler said, “It is simply outrageous that there are so many untested DNA rape kits nationwide, sitting idle in the back of police stations. Congress must appropriate all funds necessary to process these rape kits and give America’s police the tools they need to put those who harm women behind bars.” If you agree, get involved.