State funds allow testing of Dallas rape kits

DALLAS (AP) - DNA testing has begun on more than 4,100 rape kits in Dallas cases going back to the 1990s.

Dallas police recently qualified for a state grant to fund testing on the backlog of rape kits. Texas law allows cases from as far as back as September 1996 to be prosecuted if there's DNA evidence.

The 2011 Legislature approved a law that all new sexual assault kits must be tested within 30 days. Testing of old kits was required as funding became available.

Sgt. Amy Mills told KTVT-TV she has no doubt that police will identify some serial rapists who've not been convicted. Prosecutor Tammy Kemp told The Dallas Morning News that the effort will give victims a voice in the criminal justice system.