Behind every untested sexual assault kit is a rape victim waiting for justice.
That’s something that should be top of mind for the Boston City Council in light of City Councilor Ed Flynn’s call for a hearing on the delays in testing the kits at the Boston Police Crime Laboratory.
The problem isn’t confined to Boston – there’s a backlog of kit testing around the country. But the council has the power to do something about the problem here.
As the Herald reported, Flynn cited an annual report from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security that found half, or 93 of 186 kits, were not tested within that 30-day window in fiscal year 2023 — from June 2022 to June 2023.
Each untested kit is a person waiting for their alleged assailant to be identified through DNA, perhaps the strongest evidence in prosecuting rapists. Each week or month that goes by without an answer means knowing the alleged criminal is still on the streets and could strike again.
“It’s critical we address this situation and provide justice for anyone who’s a victim of sexual assault,” Flynn said.
The reason for the backlog is no mystery: The Boston Police Crime Laboratory has a staffing shortage. And boosting staff requires money, and the will to spend it where it’s needed.
Last year, the MBTA came to grips with its own staggering workforce shortage. Gov. Maura Healey stepped up to the plate with $20 million for the MBTA Workforce Safety Reserve, designed to boost employee recruitment and retention. The move helped increase the T’s staff by more than 10% in 2023.
That’s how you do it.
Flynn suggests that a future Council hearing could examine ways to provide more resources to the crime lab.
One solution: stop looking at the Boston Police Department budget and thinking “where do I cut?”
Funding the police has been a sticking point with progressive members of the council
Last year, the council sent an operating budget to the mayor that cut roughly $31 million from the police department. Thankfully, Mayor Michelle Wu slammed the brakes on the move, vetoing the cut.
In a letter to the City Council, Wu called their attempt to slash the BPD budget “illusory.”
That’s one word for it.
The council was divided on taking a machete to the BPD budget, but we hope it can unite around an issue as important as clearing up the backlog of sexual assault test kits.
It will require more funding for the department to hire more workers, perhaps new equipment, whatever it takes to bring the lab up to speed. That could run into the millions, at a time when tax revenue is down and likely to stay on the decline thanks to empty office buildings.
There are many areas that need funding in the city, and it would be too easy to kick the can down the road for future councils. This is an opportunity for the city council to show that they serve all Bostonians, especially the most vulnerable, and have the will to back up promises with much-needed funding.
Victims of sexual assault have been waiting for justice long enough.
