AG Herring says Virginia’s rape kit backlog has been eliminated

Attorney General Mark R. Herring provided an update on his project to end Virginia’s rape kit backlog. AG Herring was joined by Director of the Virginia Department of Forensic Science Linda Jackson, and Sexual Assault Survivor, Advocate and Founder of H.E.A.R.T. Inc. Debbie Smith at a press conference held today, July 8, 2020.

Attorney General Herring has led the effort, along with the Virginia Department of Forensic Science and local law enforcement agencies, to eliminate a backlog of thousands of pre-2016 untested PERK kits held by law enforcement, some of which were decades old. The PERK testing initiative is one part of Attorney General Herring’s larger effort to change the culture around sexual violence in Virginia. In addition to eliminating the rape kit backlog, he has invested in training to make trauma-informed, survivor-centered responses the new standard has worked with DFS to launch the state’s first electronic statewide PERK tracking system, and has brought on additional personnel to support survivors.