New Mexico adopts rules for sexual assault kits

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) – The New Mexico Legislature has approved guidelines to ensure DNA evidence kits from sexual assaults are processed quickly and don’t languish in storage.

A House vote Friday sent the measure to the Gov. Susana Martinez for consideration. Local law enforcement must send sexual assault test kits for processing within 30 days under the legislation.

New Mexico law enforcement agencies have been grappling with a backlog of thousands of untested evidence kits.

State Auditor Tim Keller’s office spent the past year querying law enforcement agencies about their policies for handling the kits and found a lack of resources, training and unhelpful attitudes about the credibility of victims.

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3/17/2017 10:16:40 PM (GMT -6:00)