It's an enormous problem nationwide—untested rape kits sit on shelves waiting to be tested for months and even years. The Department of Justice currently estimates
at least 400,000 kits nationwide are simply sitting, waiting to be tested so that justice might be served for the untold number of rape victims.
One California company has created technology that may drastically reduce the time it takes to get a DNA profile, from approximately two months to two hours:
The RapidHIT, made by IntegenX, looks like a copy machine. Swabs taken from a suspect are loaded into the RapidHIT and within two hours, information from the swabs can immediately be compared to profiles of previous offenders and also evidence from crime scenes with unknown suspects.
For investigators, this means they could have results while suspects are still being questioned—which would be a real game-changer during investigations:
“Having somebody identified as a known previous offender while they’re still in custody should save a lot of time on investigation, follow up and possibly prevent other crimes,” Schueren said.
There are only around 30 of these machines currently in use nationwide, but if Alameda County has success, that could change in a hurry.