LA’S CRIME LAB SHORTAGE DELAYS DNA TESTING (Thousands of murders, rapes remain unsolved in backlog)

As many as 4,500 murder and rape cases may be going unsolved here because of huge backlogs at the crime laboratories of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County sheriff's office.  The LAPD crime lab has about 1,400 rape kits waiting for DNA analysis so they can be matched with California's computer DNA database.  That's in addition to 1,200 murder cases in which potential biological evidence has not been tested.  At the sheriff's crime lab, which services areas outside the city, another 1,200 rape kits and 1,200 homicide cases await analysis.  

(Los Angeles, California)