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>>> WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY. MORE THAN 10,000 RAPE KITS IN
WASHINGTON STATE REMAIN
UNTESTED, MANY DATING BACK A
DECADE OR MORE.
JUST RECENTLY, POLICE ARRESTED
A MAN WHO RAPED A 12-YEAR-OLD
SEATTLE GIRL USING RESULTS OF A
RAPE KIT THAT HAD BEEN SITTING
ON A SHELF WAITING TO BE TESTED
FOR 12 YEARS.
THAT RAPE HAPPENED IN 2006.
MUCH OF THIS BACK LOG COMING
DOWN TO MONEY AND PERSONNEL TO
TEST THESE KITS.
WE'VE INVITED CAPTAIN MONICA
ALEXANDER OF THE WASHINGTON
STATE PATROL AND STATE
REPRESENTATIVE TINA ORWALL TO
TALK ABOUT THIS.
IT IS BREATH TAKING.
IT MAKES ME SO SAD AND ANGRY TO
THINK ABOUT WOMEN WHOSE KITS
WERE SITTING ON A SHELF.
WE'RE TOLD YOU DON'T MATTER
ENOUGH.
ENOUGH.
ENOUGH. NOT ON PURPOSE BUT THE MESSAGE
IS YOU DON'T MATTER ENOUGH TO
FIND OUT WHO HURT YOU AND STOP
THEM FROM HURTING OTHER WOMEN.
IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY TO LOOK
AT THIS?
AT THIS?
AT THIS? >> IT'S NOT.
THAT IS EXACTLY HOW YOU LOOK AT
IT.
IT.
IT. IT
IT. IT HAS TO BE IMPORTANT TO OUR
COMMUNITIES, BECAUSE THIS CRIME
TOUCHES EVERY COUNTY, EVERY
CITY IN OUR STATE.
AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING WE
SHOULD ALL BE GETTING BEHIND
BECAUSE AT ANY DAY, IT COULD
IMPACT YOU, IT COULD ME, IT
COULD IMPACT A FAMILY MEMBER.
SO WE'RE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT
IT AND REPRESENTATIVE OR WALL
HAS BEEN AMAZING WITH HER PUSH
AND DRIVE.
AND DRIVE. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE
BILL THAT YOU HAVE OUT.
WHAT CAUSED THIS BACK LOG,
FIRST OF ALL?
>> SO ONCE UPON A TIME, THE WAY
YOU TAKE IN THESE KITS AND THE
POLICE AND THE PROSECUTORS,
BECAUSE THERE'S NOT ENOUGH
RESOURCES, WOULD MAKE DECISIONS
-- THEY TRIAGE THEM AND MOVE
THEM FORWARD.
THEM FORWARD. THE OTHER KITS MAY NOT MOVE
FORWARD.
FORWARD.
FORWARD. THEN, REPRESENTATIVE ORWALL PUT
FORWARD A BILL I'LL LET HER
SPEAK TO.
SPEAK TO.
SPEAK TO. >> I'VE BEEN TOURING EVIDENCE
ROOMS AND SEEN WHITE BOXES
STACKED TO THE CEILING AND I
SAID WHAT ARE THESE BOXES.
THEY SAID THESE ARE SEXUAL
ASSAULT KITS AND THE MAJORITY
WERE NOT TESTED.
I REMEMBER THAT DAY GOING TO MY
CAR AND CRYING AND I THOUGHT
HOW MANY SURVIVORS ASSUMED WE
HAD TESTED THEM, JUST ASSUMED
AND WE ASKED WHY, WHY HAVE THEY
NOT BEEN TESTED.
MAYBE THE PERPETRATOR NEW THE
VICTIM.
VICTIM.
VICTIM. MAYBE IT WASN'T SEEN AS A
PRIORITY.
PRIORITY.
PRIORITY. MAYBE THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO
CONNECT WITH THAT SURVIVOR
AFTER THE INCIDENT BUT WHAT WE
KNOW IS THAT RAPE IS A SERIAL
CRIME.
CRIME.
CRIME. AND THAT --
>> IT'S NOT A ONE-OFF.
>> IT'S NOT A ONE-OFF.
>> IF YOU WAIT 12 YEARS, YOU
CAN BE QUITE CERTAIN YOU HAVE
OTHER VICTIMS.
OTHER VICTIMS. >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S WHAT WE FIND.
AS YOU START TESTING THE KITS,
THEY LINK TO CASES ALL OVER THE
STATE.
STATE.
STATE. WE
STATE. WE HAVE FOUR SERIAL RAPISTS
WE'VE IDENTIFIED JUST FROM THE
TESTING WE HAVE DONE AND IT'S
TERRIFYING.
TERRIFYING. >> IT REALLY IS.
AND I TOLD YOU, I HAVE A HARD
TIME GETTING THROUGH THIS
WITHOUT ANGRY TEARS ON BEHALF
OF THE VICTIMS.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE -- WHAT'S
OUT NOW IN TERMS OF
LEGISLATION, HOW CAN WE SUPPORT
IT?
IT?
IT? >>
IT? >> WHAT WE STARTED IN OUR STATE
AND IT'S BEEN A TEAM EFFORT,
AND I WANT TO THANK CAPTAIN
ALEXANDER AND THE STATE PATROL.
>> SHE'S AWESOME.
>> WE SAID IN 2015 WE NEED TO
TEST EVERY KIT AND WE SET UP A
TRACKING SYSTEM WHERE A
SURVIVOR CAN GO ONLINE AND
CHECK THE STATUS OF THEIR KIT.
>> BECAUSE THEY DESERVE TO
KNOW.
KNOW.
KNOW. >>
KNOW. >> THEY DESERVE TO KNOW.
WE STARTED DOING TRAUMA
TRAINING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT SO
THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT A VICTIM
AND A SURVIVOR GOES THROUGH.
SO WE UNDERSTAND THE NEURO
BIOLOGY, WHY PEOPLE FREEZE, WHY
THEY CAN'T FIGHT BACK.
THIS YEAR WE HAVE A BILL, HOUSE
BILL 1166 WHICH SAYS YOU KNOW
WHAT?
WHAT?
WHAT? THIS IS URGENT, WE NEED TO BE
ABLE TO TEST EVERY KIT WITHIN
45 DAYS.
45 DAYS.
45 DAYS. WE NEED TO GO AND FINISH
TESTING ALL THE BACKLOG WITHIN
THE NEXT TWO YEARS AND WE NEED
TO GIVE THE STATE PATROL THE
RESOURCES THEY NEED TO CREATE
THE LABS WE'VE SEEN IN OTHER
STATES THAT HAVE GOTTEN RID OF
THEIR BACKLOG AND DONE IT IN A
RAPID MANNER.
RAPID MANNER. IT'S A PARTNERSHIP.
>> THAT'S PART OF WHAT WE KNOW
NEEDS TO HAPPEN, THE FINANCIAL
INVESTMENT, THE LABS AND
TRAINED PERSONNEL.
TRAINED PERSONNEL. WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OTHER
STATES THAT WE CAN LEARN FROM?
>> WE WENT TOGETHER TO VISIT
OHIO AND OREGON AND THEY HAVE
WHAT'S CALLED A HIGH THROUGH-
PUT LAB WHICH HAS THE ABILITY
TO GET IT TO THE LAB AND INTO CO
DUS.
DUS.
DUS. >>
DUS. >> WE HAVE THE HIGH THROUGH-PUT
LAB.
LAB.
LAB. THE
LAB. THE FACILITY WOULD BE IN
VANCOUVER AND THE LAB IS
ALREADY ESTABLISHED.
ALREADY ESTABLISHED. WE NEED TO BUILD IT OUT A
LITTLE MORE, ADD MORE MODERN
EQUIPMENT BECAUSE WE HAVE A
ROBOT THERE.
ROBOT THERE. A LOT OF PLACES WE WENT WE
LEARNED WERE USING ROBOTIC
TECHNOLOGY.
TECHNOLOGY. WE HAVE A ROBOT BUT OUR
SCIENTISTS DESCRIBE IT AS BEING
OLD ENOUGH TO VOTE AND SO THE
PARTS AREN'T FIXABLE.
WE NEED TO BRING ON SCIENTISTS
THAT ARE THERE TO STAY BECAUSE
THEY'RE NOT BEING BURNT OUT.
OUR SCIENTISTS ARE AMAZING.
THEY ARE SO INVESTED IN THIS
AND WE JUST NEED TO DO RIGHT BY
THEM BY PROVIDING THEM WHAT IT
TAKES TO COMPLETE THIS.
AND WHEN THEY HEAR US TALKING
ABOUT THE BACKLOG, SOMEHOW THAT
MAKES THEM FEEL SOME KIND OF
WAY.
WAY.
WAY. WE
WAY. WE DON'T WANT TO DO THAT.
WE'RE NOT BLAMING THEM.
WE UNDERSTAND WE HAVE WORK TO
DO ON OUR END SO THEY CAN DO
THE WORK THEY'RE REALLY CAPABLE
OF DOING.
OF DOING.
OF DOING. >> THIS IS SYSTEMIC.
THERE'S A WHOLE RANGE OF THINGS
THAT HAVE TO HAPPEN BUT FOR
THOSE OF US AS CITIZENS THAT
FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT THIS, HOW
CAN WE HELP YOU?
WRITE TO OUR REPRESENTATIVES?
WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO SEE THAT
THIS LEGISLATION IS PASSED AND
ENACTED?
ENACTED?
ENACTED? >> IT'S CURRENTLY ON THE HOUSE
FLOOR.
FLOOR.
FLOOR. WE'RE HOPING TO GET A VOTE
SOON.
SOON.
SOON. THE
SOON. THE LEGISLATURE, WE HAVE TO DO
A LOT OF IMPORTANT THINGS AND
SOMETIMES IT'S HELPFUL WHEN A
LEGISLATOR HEARS, THIS IS A
PRIORITY.
PRIORITY.
PRIORITY. E-MAIL, PHONE CALL MAKES AN
ACTIVE.
ACTIVE.
ACTIVE. IT'S A VERY STRONG BIPARTISAN
SUPPORT OF THE BILL.
IT'S TAKEN A TEAM OF PEOPLE AND
I THINK THE MOST POWERFUL
VOICEINGS ARE THE SURVIVORS
THAT SPOKE UP.
>> THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH TOO
MUCH, NOT ONLY THE ASSAULT BUT
THE RAPE KIT IS NOT THAT MUCH
FUN AND TO ONLY FIND OUT IT'S
NOT EVEN TESTED.
I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW PEOPLE
FEEL.
FEEL.
FEEL. BUT
FEEL. BUT WE CAN CHANGE THIS.
WE CAN DO BETTER.
>> YES.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> SO I'LL PUT UP ON MY
FACEBOOK PAGE TODAY HOW TO FIND
YOUR STATE LEGISLATOR IN CASE
YOU DON'T KNOW AND LET'S CALL A
FEW PEOPLE AND LET THEM KNOW
HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS.
>> THANK YOU BOTH VERY MUCH FOR
THE WORK YOU HAVE DONE AND ARE
DOING.
DOING.
DOING. WE'RE GOING TO BE WATCHING TO
SEE HOW THE BILL FARES IN THE
LEGISLATURE.
LEGISLATURE. WE'VE LINKED MORE RESOURCES
ONLINE AND THE BACKLOG AND HOW
YOU CAN HELP.
>>> COMING UP, A CLINIC THAT
PROVIDES CARE FOR UNDERSERVED
FAMILY IS WORKING NOW TO