Council to vote on funds for rape kit testing

Council is set to add more than $220,000 to a contract for Sorenson Forensics to help the city finally eliminate the backlog of sexual assault kits waiting for testing. Acting Police Chief Brian Manley said that the city currently has a backlog of 497 kits. Of those, 215 will go to Sorenson, with the rest already assigned to other labs. Manley said he wanted to increase funding for Sorenson because it currently has “increased capacity” to take on additional kits. “The expectation is that we will have the kits out by the end of May,” he said, adding that the turnaround time would be 60 to 120 days, so the backlog should be eliminated and the kits tested by the end of September.