New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin is taking aim at the Garden State’s backlog of untested sexual assault forensic exam kits, also known as rape or SAFE kits.
New Jersey has a backlog of roughly 1,200 untested kits in law enforcement possession, according to the nonprofit organization End the Backlog, leaving extensive DNA evidence undiscovered.
Platkin issued a directive on Monday that local law enforcement agencies must test all kits once they are released by the victim. The directive applies to all untested kits dating back to 2019. All of the kits must be tested by the end of 2025, he said.
