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Nevada Lawmakers Exploring Legislation to Prevent Untested Sexual Assault Kit Backlogs

April 17, 2017 by 911media

Nevada lawmakers are working on a bill that would provide funding and a time frame for police agencies to process rape kits. The state has a backlog of roughly 8,000 kits from sexual assault exams … Nevada lawmakers are working on a bill that would provide funding and a time frame for police agencies to process rape kits. The state has a backlog of roughly 8,000 kits from sexual assault exams that date back as far as 30 years. (Metropolitan Police Department)

Assembly Bill 97, as amended Friday, would require police to send all sexual assault kits to a lab for testing within 30 days, and that lab would have 120 days to complete the testing.


State lawmakers were stunned by the volume of untested sexual assault examination kits, asking during a hearing last week how the backlog got so bad and discussing legislation to keep it from happening again.

Discussion of the thousands of untested kits that have been collecting dust in evidence rooms across the state — some for as long as 30 years — had members of the Assembly Judiciary Committee wondering who dropped the ball.

Assemblyman Ira Hansen, R-Sparks, asked Wednesday who needed to be “hanged, drawn and quartered” for letting the problem get so bad.

State leaders have been working to test about 8,000 backlogged kits since 2015, and the knowledge that each kit represented a victim weighed on the committee.

“So far, our state, the state of Nevada, has been derelict in its duty to support survivors of sexual assault,” Senate Majority Leader Aaron Ford, D-Las Vegas, said Wednesday. “Without this testing, DNA and other evidence linking cases and helping identify criminals goes unused, untested and sometimes even lost.”

Proposed legislation discussed last week could ensure a backlog of the kits never again develops in Nevada.

And that matters to Southern Nevada, which bears the bulk of the backlog: roughly 6,000 backlogged kits. Of those, 2,456 kits had been sent out for testing as of mid-March.

First Assistant Attorney General Wes Duncan testified Wednesday that Las Vegas police have sought eight arrests and 11 search warrants as a result of the testing.

The arrests underline the severity the crimes many rape kits represent.

DNA evidence from 13 years ago ties a convicted serial killer and rapist serving a life sentence in prison to two sexual assaults that predate the crimes for which he was convicted, court records show.

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On April 26, 2025, Deputy Sheriff Brandon Sikes of the Columbia County (GA) Sheriff’s Office was killed in the line of duty.

Deputy Sheriff Sikes and his partners were serving a domestic violence protective on a subject. At some point, the savage engaged the deputies in a gunfight, mortally wounding Deputy Sheriff Sikes.

Brandon was 31 years old and had been a cop for nearly seven years. He also served our country in the U.S. Army. He is survived by his wife, daughter, parents, siblings and nephew.

Godspeed, brother.

#honorourfallen #thinblueline #supportlawenforcement #lvppa

Great news on this important legislation that amends the existing Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA) to allow officers to carry in the same venues where civilian concealed carry permit holders are permitted.

In honor of National Peace Officers Memorial Day, we pay tribute to the fallen heroes of the LVMPD, North Las Vegas P.D. and Henderson P.D. who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our communities. We also remember and honor the federal, state, county, municipal, military, tribal and campus law enforcement officers across the country who gave their lives while upholding the thin blue line. We will never forget.

#nationalpoliceweek #peaceofficersmemorialday #honorourfallen #community #thinblueline #supportlawenforcement #lvppa

This morning, the LVPPA Executive Board had the opportunity to speak to the recruits of LVMPD Police Academy Class 11-2024.

Next week, these 49 recruits will graduate the Academy and begin the field training process.

Congratulations, and see you at graduation!

#lvmpd #police #lasvegas #vegascops #vegasstrong #thinblueline #backtheblue #supportlawenforcement #cops #community #lvppa #police

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Congratulations to all the Top Cops including our own Cruz Littlefield and Alfredo Ramirez! A huge thank you and congratulations to National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) for a great event!

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