Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes updated City Council during their work session on Oct. 22 of the current state of the Fort Worth Crime Lab, which includes a backlog of 969 unprocessed sexual assault kits.

What you need to know

According to a city news release, a sexual assault kit is a collection of evidence, like DNA and other samples, taken after a person reports being sexually assaulted to help in investigating the crime. Of the 969 unprocessed kits, the news release states 779 kits have been tested and are awaiting the final stage—review by the crime lab and entry into the Combined DNA Index System—which compares DNA profiles against numerous known and unknown DNA profiles.

“This is a completely unacceptable situation we're in right now,” Noakes said. “We understand the urgency of correcting this problem and are looking at every single option available. The survivors of these crimes deserve that from us and we will accept no less of ourselves.”

The news release states that while the kits await final stage processing into CODIS, Fort Worth Police Department detectives are able to share those reports with victims and proceed with prosecution.


Sorting out details

Noakes said the biggest reason for the backlog is due to the post-test review and the CODIS entry of the kits, not the testing itself. Two certified biologists are doing that work while the crime lab's biology unit has five vacancies.

Chapter 420 of the Texas government code states law enforcement agencies must submit evidence kits to their respective testing labs within 30 days of receiving them. The lab is then required to test those kits within 90 days.

According to the news release, the 190 kits that have not been tested were recently mailed out on Oct. 18 for testing. Of those, 116 were over the 90-day timeframe and, therefore, past the requirement for testing.


What they’re saying

“We have failed victims in our city, and that is unacceptable,” District 9 Council Member Elizabeth Beck said. “To watch someone who has gone through that [trauma] and know that their justice has been delayed is heartbreaking.”

“If we’re going to have a crime lab in the city of Fort Worth, it is going to be best in class, period. End of story,” Mayor Mattie Parker said. “We have a short timeline to achieve that because we’ve lost the public's trust, and I understand why.”

Next steps


FWPD received a federal grant in the amount of $686,000 to test the kits that are currently backlogged and is working to hire additional vendors to complete the CODIS entry. FWPD has posted job openings for the open forensic scientist positions, according to the news release.

Due to these issues, Fort Worth City Council will now receive oversight from the following city departments:
  • City Manager’s Office
  • Office of the Police Oversight Monitor
  • FWPD, with active management from Assistant Chief David Carabajal and Chief Noakes
The news release states another update will be provided at the Nov. 5 city council work session.