It’s been almost a year since the New Mexico state auditor’s office announced a special audit of untested sexual assault kits, but law enforcement agencies across the state have made little progress.
As of last week, 5,302 sexual assault evidence kits remain untested – that's just 138 fewer than this time last year according to the report from State Auditor Tim Keller’s office. Keller says kits aren’t being tested because of a lack of resources, training, equipment and, "all too often, a deeply troubling bias against believing survivors."
Three out of four of the state’s untested kits are in Bernalillo County where the number of kits waiting for analysis is unchanged from last year, according to the audit. Law enforcement agencies will begin mandatory training on evidence kit testing protocols in January.