The testing costs for nearly half of the unprocessed rape kits in Denver’s crime lab will be covered by an anonymous donation.
The Denver Police Crime Laboratory has been awarded $47,250 from a grassroots fundraising effort to clear Colorado’s massive backlog of untested rape kits. The money comes from one anonymous donation of $52,500 made in July; 10 percent of that donation went to administrative fees for the Colorado Nonprofit Development Center, which facilitated the donation on behalf of the fundraisers.
Sexual assault victims in Colorado wait 492 days on average for the state to process their evidence kits, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. During that wait, victims are often unable to pursue criminal charges, restraining orders or any semblance of justice. As of August 31, there were 939 cases awaiting testing — down from 1,462 cases in February…