The state is making progress on its backlog of untested sexual assault kits.
In a quarterly update, the attorney general’s office says 614 additional kits have been submitted for testing over the past three months.
That’s up 72 kits from the previous quarter’s total of 542.
The numbers break down by county as follows:
| County | Kits submitted as of June 30, 2017 | Kits submitted as of Sept. 30, 2017 | Total number of kits submitted so far for testing |
| Honolulu | 365 | 467 | 832 |
| Kauai | 49 | 82 | 131 |
| Maui | 78 | 8 | 86 |
| Hawaii | 50 | 57 | 107 |
| Total | 542 | 614 | 1156 |
The state says it remains on track to clear the backlog by the July 1, 2018 deadline set by the legislature.
The updates are part of a new initiative created as a result of Act 207 (2016).
Project Malama Kakou brings together a statewide multidisciplinary team of victim service providers, crime lab personnel, police officials, and prosecutors to comprehensively reform the testing of sexual assault kits in Hawaii in a caring and victim-centered manner.
Updates are posted on the information dashboard for the Hawaii Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) website.Click here for more information.
