Andrea Ricuarte addressees Council on Austin rape kits

Written by Workhorse Marketing

UPDATE: On Sept. 12, Chief Acevedo announced that he would find funding within the existing fiscal year’s budget to fund the analysis of the current backlogged sexual assault related cases—and any incurred during the closure of APD’s DNA lab—while the lab remains closed.

On Sept. 14,  the Austin City Council passed the 2017 budget, which included $1.4 million in the general fund intended to pay for seven additional analysts and one additional supervisor, per PS1.04. 

This is a huge win for survivors of sexual assault and for the advocates and citizens who fought to get these funds in the budget. Your advocacy and your support for The SAFE Alliance is a critical part of this victory. You can help us continue to fight for justice for survivors of sexual assault by making a gift today.

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Click below to see advocate and first responder Andrea Ricuarte’s testimony during the Sept. 1 Austin City Council meeting. She joined numerous speakers to demand council members adopt measures to reopen the Austin Police Deparment’s DNA lab and address the ever-growing backlog of rape kits.

Since the Sept. 1 testimonies, APD announced their commitment to finding the funds to clear Austin’s backlog of rape kits and untested evidence.