Idaho police tested more than 300 rape kits last year

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An annual report from the Idaho State Police shows fewer sexual assault evidence kits were submitted to the state for testing last year.

In 2020, 477 kits were collected at medical facilities across the state, and of those 334 were submitted to the Idaho State Police forensic services lab. The Idaho Statesman reports that is a decrease from 2019 when the lab saw 612 submissions.

However, many of the 2019 sexual assault kits were old, previously untested ones that were being submitted in compliance with a series of new state laws intended to reduce the state’s kit backlog.