CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — Cut to the Case is trying to cut back on the backlog of untested rape kits.
Two University of Illinois students are behind this — Kendall Furbee and Premika Pandian are two undergraduate students.
They want to increase accountability and transparency to sexual assault investigations.
They say the timeline from when a crime happens, to when it goes to court can take years. So, Cut to the Case is pushing a platform where victims can monitor the progress of their case.
They say about 60 percent of police departments don’t have a comprehensive online databases – and they’re hoping this all will make the reporting process easier much easier at the U of I.
“What we’re trying to do is increase reporting, so a lot of times people get sexually assaulted and they don’t know their reporting options, and other people who’ve been sexually assaulted tell them, oh the process is a monster, so we want to make the process more victim friendly so they feel comfortable going through it.”
In February, we learned Illinois State Police still had a backlog of more than 1,000 untested kits at their crime lab.
A bill to create and operate a statewide sexual assault evidence kit tracking system was passed by both houses three months ago.
That was sent to the governors desk at the end of June.
