CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte City Council approved two federal grants that will funnel millions of dollars to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department that will go toward solving sexual assaults and cold cases.
City leaders approved two grants from the Justice Department that will provide CMPD with $2.9 million to hire additional staff and purchase supplies to process rape kits. While the state's sexual assault tracking system shows Mecklenburg County is doing a good job of keeping down the backlog of DNA testing, the money means even more kits can be processed and sent to the national DNA database, which could lead to more cases being solved.
“I’m grateful that Charlotte will receive nearly $3 million in funding from the Department of Justice to process and review rape kits so that justice can be served, and criminals are taken off the street," Rep. Jeff Jackson said.
Jackson is an original sponsor of the bipartisan Rape Kit Backlog Process Act. The bill, which was led by Reps. Nancy Mace and Barbara Lee, is aimed at processing an estimated 100,000 DNA rape kits across the country. It would improve requirements for state and local governments to provide transparency into rape kit backlogs. On Monday, Jackson issued a statement saying in part, "For every unprocessed rape kit, there is a survivor of sexual assault who hasn't gotten justice."
Ilse Knecht, the director of policy and advocacy of the Joyful Heart Foundation, says more funding for DNA testing centers is critical because when it comes to DNA testing, time is the most important factor.
"Every minute that evidence sits in a crime lab waiting for testing is another minute that a dangerous offender could be on the streets committing crimes," Knecht said.
Contact Richard DeVayne at rdevayne@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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