The Austin Police Department hopes that two new interlocal agreements will help it clear its massive backlog of sexual assault test kits within six months. Speaking to the Public Safety Commission on Monday, Austin Police Department Assistant Chief Troy Gay said the department signed agreements with Southwestern Institute of Forensic Science and Signature Science to assist in clearing the backlog of 3,000 sexual assault test kits the department has accumulated. Gay said SWIFS will take 100 cases every two weeks, and Signature Science will handle 20 cases every 45 days. Gay said the Texas State Department of Public Safety will also handle 20 cases any month that requires expedited results. With the outsourced help, the department plans to clear the backlogged cases within six months, the results of which, he said, would take about 12-months to return. The ADP temporarily closed its crime lab in June after the Texas Forensic Science Commission raised concerns regarding the adequacy of the lab’s staff and its procedure. Earlier this year, Austin City Council earmarked $1.4 million to reopen and staff the crime lab by spring 2017. However, the Public Safety Commission was mulling over a recommendation to council to make the crime lab an independent entity. At the request of interim Police Chief Brian Manley, the commission will wait a month to take action on the recommendation while the department hires a consultant to research available options. Gay said the department was working to hire two technical experts to look into how the ADP’s crime lab got so backlogged and what the department should do moving forward. He said there was no timeline for these next steps but will provide one at the next Public Safety Commission meeting in early 2017.