Memphis mayor orders all backlogged rape kits tested

Memphis Mayor AC Wharton issued an executive order to ensure the processing of over 8,000 backlogged rape kits on Monday. The untested rape kits, some of which date back to the 1980s, have remained in a storage room at the Memphis Police Department (MPD). Rape kits are collected immediately after the assault, and may contain DNA samples or other evidence.

Confusion as to whether the Shelby County District Attorney's Office or the MPD should process the kits was partly responsible for the backlog, but the order now transfers responsibility of the rape kits to the police.