Like the LAPD, the Sheriff's Department has struggled to devise a financially feasible plan to eliminate its DNA backlog. Both agencies are currently increasing the number of in-house lab analysts to handle the constant influx of new cases, while also plotting out ways to outsource the backlogged cases to private labs. Each kit costs about $1,000 to process.
Shields told L.A. County supervisors that he would soon present Baca with a proposed plan and said it would take "years" to clear the backlog. In an interview, he declined to provide specifics.
Time is a major factor: More than 100 sheriff's cases are within six months of reaching the state's 10-year statute of limitations, Shields reported.
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j oel.rubin@latimes.com
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
The problem
Of 4,738 cases with unanalyzed sexual assault kits held by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the current status of 3,313 of them is known:
* 1,437 Remain open and have known suspects
* 815 Remain open and have no known suspects
* 1,061 Have either been adjudicated or rejected by the district attorney's office
Many of the cases are also approaching legal limits on prosecutions:
* 106 Are nearing the 10-year statute of limitations
* 311 Have exceeded the 10-year statute of limitations
* 51 Are over 10 years old and have no known suspects
Source: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
