Untested rape kit series. Part (1): Fint; Attention cineaste Michael Moore: You thought it was just about the lethal water? Read this: 'Flint will get nearly $1M to continue testing old rape kits.'..."The Flint Police Department is up to date on testing for any current sexual assault cases, (police spokesman) Bernritter said. He would not discuss what led to the old kits not being tested. "Each kit, I'm sure at one point had an explanation. Whatever caused these to not have been tested, it was done by people who are not here anymore and I can't answer that. I wouldn't even want to speculate," Bernritter said. "Last year, we identified the problem, took immediate steps to solve the problem and it is nearly resolved."..........At one point, there were more than 300 sexual assault evidence kits untested in Flint. The television series "Cold Justice: Sex Crimes," even paid for the test of 71 of the kits. The production company agreed to pay for tests of some of the backlogged sex crime kits, which cost $800-$1,000 each, police previously said."Domenic Adams; MLive; October 14; Up-dated on October 15, 2016.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The manner in which police, save, preserve and test rape kits is a barometer of the quality and integrity of our criminal justice system. The first of the three posts in the series deals with  a  troubling situation in Flint, Michigan. The second post will deal with the backlog in San Diego - and the third examines why it is so important to to have a seamless rape kit system - which will also protect wrongfully convicted people who may require access to the kits  years later to demonstrate their innocence.

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "At one point, there were more than 300 sexual assault evidence kits untested in Flint. The television series "Cold Justice: Sex Crimes," even paid for the test of 71 of the kits. The production company agreed to pay for tests of some of the backlogged sex crime kits, which cost $800-$1,000 each, police previously said.""

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"Flint police will receive nearly $1 million to continue testing the backlog of sexual assault kits. Flint police spokesman Capt. Devon Bernritter said the Bureau of Justice Assistance's sexual assault kit initiative is an extension of an effort that was already underway. The state found 1,819 untested rape kits from October 2014 or earlier in a September 2015 survey of Michigan counties. The state announced the discovery of the untested kits in January after surveying 82 Michigan counties. Testing begins on 1,819 rape kits found across Michigan; Testing is under way on untested rape kits identified through a survey of Michigan counties, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette reports.
Flint had 261 untested rape kits at the time, according to the survey. The survey did not include Wayne County because of efforts already under way there. "I can tell you that we were able to test a substantial number of that 261," he said..........Bernritter said the continuation grant will give Flint 18 months to complete the work. The city will go back and test old kits that may have been previously tested using the available technology at the time, but that resulted in no suspects.........The grant will allow testing of kits using current testing methods in hopes of generating new suspect information, Bernritter said. The Flint Police Department is up to date on testing for any current sexual assault cases, Bernritter said. He would not discuss what led to the old kits not being tested.
"Each kit, I'm sure at one point had an explanation. Whatever caused these to not have been tested, it was done by people who are not here anymore and I can't answer that. I wouldn't even want to speculate," Bernritter said. "Last year, we identified the problem, took immediate steps to solve the problem and it is nearly resolved."..........At one point, there were more than 300 sexual assault evidence kits untested in Flint. The television series "Cold Justice: Sex Crimes," even paid for the test of 71 of the kits. The production company agreed to pay for tests of some of the backlogged sex crime kits, which cost $800-$1,000 each, police previously said."
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/10/flint_to_get_nearly_1m_to_cont.html