Thousands of rape kits remain untested in Tulsa

TULSA, Okla. (AP) – The Sex Crimes Unit at the Tulsa Police Department says the department likely won’t meet Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin’s extended deadline to compile an audit of untested rape kits.
Sgt. Jillian Phippen tells the Tulsa World that the audit is an unfunded mandate by the state and that the department doesn’t have the manpower to complete it in the allotted time frame.
Phippen says there are 5,000 to 6,000 sexual assault cases with rape kits dating back to the 1980s. She says some kits aren’t in the department’s database and must be physically reviewed and manually entered.
The governor issued an executive order in April with a Dec. 30 deadline for the state’s police departments to audit their evidence rooms for untested rape kits. Fallin has extended the deadline to Feb. 15.