Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin is creating a task force to address a backlog of sexual assault evidence kits in police department warehouses across the state.
Fallin signed an executive order on Monday creating the 17-member Oklahoma Task Force on Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence.
The panel is charged with auditing the number of untested kits in the state and finding ways to improve law enforcement training, victims' rights and access, and developing a process for gathering and analyzing rape kits.
Oklahoma currently doesn't have a statewide tracking system for rape kits or a mandate to test all rape kits. Fallin says current regulations also aren't clear regarding when and how to destroy untested kits.