Police: Nearly half of Idaho’s rape kits not sent to lab

A new state audit of the evidence collected in Idaho’s sexual assault investigations shows that law enforcement officials didn’t submit nearly half of the rape kits to be tested.

Officials say that’s largely because the cases were no longer being investigated or the agency determined no crime had been committed.

The Idaho State Police released its findings last week as required under a state law enacted earlier this year.

Every law enforcement agency in the state participated in the audit, resulting in a review of around 2,500 rape kits. More than half of those kits were submitted to a lab, while nearly 540 kits still need to be tested.

Rape kits contain samples of semen, saliva or blood taken from a victim during an invasive examination that can last up to six hours.