METRO NEWS – BOSTON – Prosecuting rape suspects in Boston is slowing down as untested rape kits continue to pile up due to understaffing in the Boston crime lab.
Back in 2018, the legislature passed a law mandating that sexual assault ‘rape’ kits be processed within 30 days. but in Boston, this is plainly not happening and it is leaving survivors worrying about the outcome of the criminal cases against their attackers and if they will see justice.
Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn said, “The Boston crime lab is not testing sexual assault kits. We need to ensure survivors of sexual assault are heard in the criminal justice system.”
The crime lab responsible for testing rape kits within 30 days, then sending that evidence on to the court, is considerably short staffed. According to the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, the city’s crime lab received 186 rape kits between June 2022 and June 2023. Of those 186, ninety-three were not processed in time, more than double the year before.
Councilor Flynn continued “We want to have the officials from the Boston Police Department answer difficult questions about staffing,”
“This information is critical to ensure that those that committed this sexual assault are prosecuted,” said Flynn.
Flynn blamed the lack of personnel on the city’s residency requirement, lack of benefits and low pay. The lab is another victim of the city’s inability to retain qualified workers. The council is promising to solve the problem.
“As we go into the budget process with the mayor’s office, our actions need to include additional funding for the Boston Police crime lab,” said Flynn.
The hearing to discuss plans for staffing and additional funding will be scheduled in the coming weeks.
The Crime Laboratory Unit is a component of the Boston Police Forensic Division, dedicated to providing accurate, impartial forensic analysis while always upholding the highest scientific and professional standards.
Comprised of 22 dedicated and talented forensic analysts, the Crime Laboratory Unit intakes over 1000 Boston cases and analyzes nearly 3000 samples a year.
Offering services in crime scene processing, general evidence examinations, sexual assault kit processing, DNA testing, bloodstain pattern analysis, serial number restoration, footwear impression analysis, gunshot residue distance determination, shooting reconstruction, trace evidence analysis and primer gunshot residue testing
