NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — With a sexual assault kit backlog in the state that is months long, Gov. Bill Lee and his leadership team announced they will add more forensic staff positions to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
This will include scientists, technicians and administrative support in each division of the state.
"We heard from the TBI and what their requests were," Lee said from the Old Supreme Court Chamber on Thursday. "We moved the red tape out of the way and sped the process up."
This came under focus during the Eliza Fletcher case in Memphis, where the man charged for her murder allegedly raped a woman a year before Fletcher's death and abduction. The woman whose rape kit sat in a backlog is now suing the City of Memphis in dealing with the investigation.
Recurring funding for these additional forensic lab positions will be included in the state’s upcoming fiscal year 2023-2024 budget for those positions with the TBI.
"We made the largest investment into the TBI last year," Lee said. "The process for them to hire folks is underway. The number of scientists aren't at work yet. That leaves a vacancy of resources. We asked them to use that vacancy and resources for the next 25. They showed they are capable of filling the positions."
When asked if it was fair to rape victims, Lee said that it is notable that the request was made for starting those backlog lines. The TBI's Crime lab in Jackson is so backed up that there's nearly a year-long wait to process rape kits.
As of last month, there were more than 340 kits waiting to be processed.
The Knoxville lab has 374 kits with a turnaround time of 10 months.
"They have had this issue for a long time. We became aware of that. We are now funding those requests," Lee said.
Breakdown of new scientists:
- Jackson Lab - 8
- Nashville Lab - 11
- Knoxville Lab - 6
