Please note: This email contains language that references sexual assault.
I want to talk to you about something very serious: sexual assault.
Survivors of sexual assault deserve justice. It is completely unacceptable that there were over 10,000+ untested sexual assault kits in Washington. Many of these kits sat on the shelves of law enforcement agencies for years.
Justice is being delayed for every day those kits are not tested and predators are not charged.
Right now, I’m working with legislators and advocates on the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative to ensure that the thousands of untested kits are all tested and investigated in a timely manner.
An update on our progress – over 6,000 sexual assault kits have been tested.
I am proud of the work we are doing to deliver justice for sexual assault survivors and make our communities safer. I know that we are making a difference.
In fact, recently the Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney filed multiple felony rape charges against a sexually violent predator and diagnosed pedophile just weeks before he was set to be released into the community.
The charges came as a direct result of evidence generated by one of the kits we made sure was tested. If it were not the advocacy of survivors and the work of my team, this kit would still be sitting on a shelf in Spokane.
As Attorney General, I've prosecuted hundreds of sexually violent predators. I am committed to comprehensive sexual assault reform — and ending the unacceptable backlog of untested kits so that all survivors have access to the justice they deserve.
Bob
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