New Orleans reports major progress on sexual assault kit backlog

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — New Orleans city leaders say they’ve made major progress in clearing a long-standing backlog of sexual assault kits, thanks to millions in funding and strong collaboration across agencies.

“When I first visited the state crime lab, I saw sexual assault kits just lined up on shelves, untested,” said Councilmember Lesli Harris. “And for me, every single untested kit represents a delayed opportunity for justice, for survivors, for families and for our city.”

With $3 million in funding secured by Harris and partnerships with the New Orleans Police Department, Louisiana State Police and city officials, the city has outsourced testing for more than 1,000 cases, with just 187 cases awaiting testing. 

“So far, we’ve outsourced 1014 cases of 914 that have been returned to us,” Lt. Scott Davis, Deputy Director of the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab said. “327 of those cases have been reviewed. Cases with pending review status is 587, and NOPD cases in LSP custody is 187.”

To keep the initiative moving forward, Council President Helena Moreno and State Representative Mandie Landry helped secure an additional $1.3 million, which officials say was critical to launching and sustaining the outsourcing project.

“DNA is one of the most powerful tools in criminal prosecutions,” said District Attorney Jason Williams. “Its accuracy level is higher than witness identification.” 

Outsourcing has allowed for faster turnaround times and eased the burden on the LSP’s crime lab, which has faced a growing caseload in recent years.

“We’re delivering justice through science, technology and collaboration,” Harris said, “making sure perpetrators are identified and the innocent are exonerated.”

At the same time, the city is working to reestablish in-house DNA testing. The NOPD Crime Lab is actively training analysts, validating equipment and applying for accreditation — all while working to redesign their lab space to improve security and reduce the risk of contamination.

Erin Levie, a DNA supervisor with the NOPD Crime Lab, says the team is making steady progress and is on track to be fully operational by 2027.

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