Federal Grant Targeted for Untested Sexual Assault Kits

ST. PAUL (AP) -- The state has been given a $2 million federal grant to begin testing a backlog of sexual assault kits that have been sitting on shelves for years.

There are more than 3,000 untested kits. Each one represents a victim that has endured a sexual assault exam.

The grant from the Office of Justice Programs will initially be used in Anoka County where the sheriff's office has the largest number of untested kits. Its property room has nearly 500 untested kits.

The grant is $800,000 short of the amount the state requested. The agencies involved will determine to proceed with the amount that was received.