T.V. shows like SVU or CSI make it seem like collected evidence is quickly processed, and for Hollywood purposes, it has to, so they can get on with whatever story they are telling. But sadly, in reality, Law Enforcement can not keep up with their caseloads and evidence takes time to process, especially in high population areas. In fact, there are warehouses full of rape kits that still need to be processed. So who knows how many people are out there still attacking women because the evidence that would incriminate them is collecting dust. Politicians came together and sought to right this wrong, and Trump signed the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act into law that will help to take on this serious backlog.
“The Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2019, is named in honor of a 1989 rape victim whose evidence went untested until 1994.”
The White House put out a statement about the new law.
“This legislation authorizes the Department of Justice to provide resources to State and local law enforcement to help make sure that criminals are brought to justice. We know that DNA is much more likely than fingerprints to result in the identification of a criminal, yet thousands of rape kits currently sit untested in labs and on police storage shelves across the Nation. The Debbie Smith Act originally became law to provide local and State crime laboratories the resources to end the backlog of untested DNA evidence from unsolved crimes. President Donald J. Trump is proud to have worked with Congress, especially with Congresswoman Wagner and Senators Cornyn and Grassley, to achieve this bipartisan reauthorization.”
“Each year, $151 million will fund the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program, $12.5 million will go toward DNA training and education programs, while $30 million will be allocated to the Sexual Assault Forensic Exam Grant Program,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.
“This funding makes it a little easier for them to hire new staff and hire new staff in their forensic lab it makes a difference with the amount of kits that can be tested quicker and more readily so victims can have the response that they need, and also for those cases to move even smoother through the criminal justice system,” Carol Messam-Gordon, the Program Coordinator Palm Beach County Victim Services & Certified Rape Crisis Center told CBS12 News.”
This is great with this funding hopefully they can get through evidence much faster. We need to be able to take down these criminals and stop them from attacking other women. This law may not solve the backlogging issue entirely, but at least it can help to combat it and hopefully save some lives.
Why has it taken Congress so long to push this bill forward? I want to know who (in Congress) is/are responsible for long wait to get this to the President( or has it previously been delivered to another President? That would really be sick). Also, who got this thing going in the first place? A BIG Thank You to him or her!
Simple, all the house has been doing is trying to “Impeach Trump”! Check Pelosi’s record, she hasn’t written one bill in 30 years! All she does is co-sign bills to get money for her district! How about Hillary? Her record, “I’ve flown millions of miles as Secretary of State”! Obama, NOTHING! Not as a “Community Organizer”, Illinois state senator, or POTUS! Other than gave Chrysler to Fiat, GM to the UAW union, and double the National Debt! The Dems goals, “No Governments, Borders, or Religions, with the Ellite Billionaires in total control”! So Obama and Hillary are “Kissing Soros Butt” to get their “Positions of Power” in his “New World Order”!
Oh Boy, the Commie Dems won’t like this one, No way!