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Open Homicide, Rape Cases Contain Evidence Not Sent to Labs

Nationwide, 14% of open homicide cases and 18% of open rape cases contain forensic evidence that has not been sent to a crime lab for analysis, according to a new study conducted by RTI International for the Office of Justice Programs' National Institute of Justice.

The national survey of more than 2,000 state and local police agencies also found that fewer than one half of police departments (43%) have computerized systems in place for tracking forensic evidence inventory.

Among the reasons cited for not submitting forensic evidence for analysis were the following:

* 44% reported that evidence is not submitted for analysis unless a suspect has been identified;

* 15% of law enforcement agencies reported that they may not submit forensic evidence to a lab if the analysis was not requested by a prosecutor;

* 11% said they did not submit evidence because they felt the lab was not able to produce timely results;

The survey also revealed that evidence retention policies and practices vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

— Source: RTI International