A recent city audit has discovered lapses in the process of handling rape kits by the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD), highlighting delays that appear to contravene state law requiring a 30-day deadline for the processing of such evidence. KENS5 reported that nearly 10% of the kits were not processed within this timeframe over a two-year period.
According to the audit, which spanned from October 1, 2021, to September 18, 2023, there were 1,249 rape kits within SAPD's jurisdiction, out of which 117 were late. In response, SAPD has taken measures to expedite the handling and processing of these kits. These steps include sending weekly reports of untested kits to the special victims unit, doubling courier services to the county, and mandating a seven-day deadline for detectives to send kits to the county's criminal investigation unit, as detailed in a city council audit committee's 17-page report.
SAPD's leadership assured the city council that there had been no backlog per se, with Sgt. Washington Moscoso from SAPD stating, "It was maybe at 40 days or 45, they were picked up and sent over to the Bexar County Laboratory for testing. So it wasn’t a shelf full of old kits just sitting there." Moscoso additionally noted in an interview with KSAT that none of the cases were "affected negatively as far as admissibility" and all cases had been transferred to the DA's office.
Improvements made by SAPD also address logistical issues, such as the previous reliance on a single courier, which has now been augmented with a backup and a secondary backup. Furthermore, the shift from bi-weekly to weekly reporting aims to enhance communication and oversight. SAPD Captain Rene Gallegos expressed confidence in the new procedures, saying, "I peeked at the report this morning. Everything that’s on the list here went in the last seven or so. So, not even close to the 30-day mark anymore," according to a council meeting.
In light of these developments, District 9 Councilman John Courage has emphasized the critical nature of the audit's findings. He has requested a follow-up report to confirm the efficiency of the new process. This information is also expected to be presented to the city’s Public Safety Committee for their involvement in the procedure and follow-ups, ensuring that the necessary changes have been fully implemented and are yielding the intended results.
