Clarno praises OSP progress on sexual assault kit backlog

Oregon Secretary of State Bev Clarno released a report Wednesday showing the Oregon State Police Forensic Services Division has implemented all recommendations made in audit report 2018-16, “Forensic Division Has Taken Appropriate Steps to Address Oregon’s Sexual Assault Kit Testing Backlog.”

“I’m proud to say Oregon is a leader on this very important issue. It is encouraging to see that OSP has followed up on audit recommendations and is working effectively to reduce its backlog of untested sexual assault kits,” Clarno said. “As a result of this work, OSP and their partners have brought long-awaited justice to survivors.”

In the original audit, released in 2018, auditors issued three recommendations. At the time, OSP agreed with all of the recommendations.

These recommendations focused on helping ensure the Forensic Services Division is transparent about its evidence processing backlogs, chooses a SAFE kit tracking system that meets Oregon’s needs, and takes appropriate steps to reintroduce DNA evidence for property crimes at its crime lab.

The full report can be found on the Secretary of State’s website.