VIDEO
VIDEO OF
VIDEO OF THE CRIME SURFACED. >>> WHILE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
WREAKS HAVOC ON MINNESOTA'S
FINANCES, A KARE 11
INVESTIGATION FINDS A STATE
AGENCY WILDLY OVERESTIMATING
THE COST OF HELPING RAPE
VICTIMS SEEK JUSTICE.
HERE IS A.J.
LAGOE WITH THE LATEST IN OUR
YEAR-LONG INVESTIGATION, THE
UNTESTED.
UNTESTED.
UNTESTED. >> Reporter: UNTESTED.
>> OVER FOUR YEARS.
>> Reporter: MISCOUNTED.
>> I FELT SO DISMISSED.
>> Reporter: DESTROYED.
>> IT MAKES ME SO ANGRY.
>> Reporter: THAT IS WHAT KARE
11'S INVESTIGATIONS EXPOSED
HAPPENING TO THOUSANDS OF RAPE
KITS IN MINNESOTA.
STATE LEADERS LISTENED.
>> IT IS TIME FOR VICTIMS TO
HAVE JUSTICE.
HAVE JUSTICE. >> A BILL TO REQUIRE DNA
TESTING OF RAPE KITS WAS
INTRODUCED.
INTRODUCED. IT HAD WIDE BIPARTISAN SUPPORT
AND WAS ON THE FAST TRACK.
THEN, COVID HIT.
NOW, THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT
WHAT IT WILL COST.
OUTLOOK SAFETY COMMISSIONER
JOHN HARRINGTON RECENTLY LAID
IT OUT FOR LAWMAKERS.
>> OUR REQUEST FOR THIS
PROPOSAL IS FOR A TOTAL OF 3.09
MILLION IN 2021.
>> $3 MILLION NEXT YEAR, 2
MILLION EVERY YEAR AFTER.
HOW THAT FIGURE WAS REACHED IS
SPELLED OUT IN THIS FISCAL NOTE
BY THE BCA.
BUT, THERE IS A PROBLEM.
>> IT SEEMED LIKE AN
OVERESTIMATION.
OVERESTIMATION. >> Reporter: MEL COOPER IS VICE
PRESIDENT OF PUBLIC POLICY FOR
RAIN.
RAIN.
RAIN. >>
RAIN. >> YOUR NUMBER ONE TAKE AWAY
AFTER LOOKING AT THE FISCAL
NUMBER?
NUMBER?
NUMBER? >> I DO NOT THINK THEY DID THE
MATH RIGHT.
MATH RIGHT. >> Reporter: THEY ESTIMATE THE
FORENSIC LABORATORY WILL
RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL 1500
CASES FOR TESTINGPER YEAR.
THE BCA'S DREW EVANS TOLD
LAWMAKERS THAT MEANS HIRING NEW
SCIENTISTS.
SCIENTISTS. >>, EMPLOYEES ARE YOU LOOKING
AT ADDING FOR THAT?
>> EIGHT SCIENTISTS FOR DNA AND
I BELIEVE TWO FOR THE TRACKING
PORTION.
PORTION.
PORTION. >> Reporter: IN THEIR BUDGET
ESTIMATE, THE BCA SAID IN 2019,
STATEWIDE THERE WERE 2763
REPORTED RAPE'S BUT ONLY 1600
WERE CEMENTED TO TEST.
SO, BCA ASSUMES THEY WOULD
RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL 1500
CASES FOR TESTING PER YEAR.
THEY WROTE, WITH THIS BILL, ALL
KITS WOULD BE REQUIRED TO BE
SUBMITTED WHICH WOULD INCLUDE
THE VAST MAJORITY OF REPORTED
RAPE CASES.
RAPE CASES. BUT HERE IS THE ISSUE.
THE BCA ASSUMES THAT VIRTUALLY
ALL REPORTED RAPE CASES HAVE A
CORRESPONDING RAPE KIT.
EXPERTS SAY THAT HAS NEVER BEEN
TRUE.
TRUE.
TRUE. >>
TRUE. >> THOSE NUMBERS ARE NEVER
GOING TO MATCH.
>> Reporter: COOPER SAYS THAT
IS IN LARGE PART BECAUSE RAPE
EXAMS NEED TO BE DONE WITH IN
FIVE DAYS MAX IN THE ASSAULT IN
MANY VICTIMS WAIT LONGER BEFORE
REPORTING THEIR RAPE.
>> Reporter: THE NUMBER OF KIDS
WILL ALWAYS BE LESS THAN THE
TOTAL NUMBER OF RAPES REPORTED.
>> Reporter: THE BCA REPEATEDLY
TOLD KARE 11 THERE IS NO WAY
THEY COULD TELL HOW MANY CASES
INCLUDED KIDS.
INCLUDED KIDS. SO THEY HAD TO PLAN
ACCORDINGLY.
ACCORDINGLY. BUT WHAT THE BCA SAID COULD NOT
BE DONE WAS ACTUALLY SIMPLE.
KARE 11 JUST ASKED LAW
ENFORCEMENT AROUND THE STATE
FOR DATA ON HOW MANY REPORTED
RAPES THEY HAD AND HOW MANY OF
THOSE ACTUALLY HAD KIDS.
HERE'S SOME EXAMPLES.
IN 2018 AND 2019, DULUTH HAD 82
REPORTED RAPES, JUST 31 RAPE
KITS.
KITS.
KITS. ROCHESTER, 209 REPORTED RAPES,
65 KITS.
65 KITS.
65 KITS. SAINT PAUL, 513 REPORTED RAPES,
349 RAPE KITS.
OUR SURVEY OF 15 CITIES FOUND
JUST 49% OF REPORTED RAPES HAVE
A CORRESPONDING RAPE KIT.
IT MEANS THE BCA LAB IS LOOKING
AT JUST 150 NEW RAPE KITS TO
TEST PER YEAR, NOT 1500.
AND THE COST TO TAXPAYERS?
JUST A FRACTION OF WHAT THE
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSIONER AND
BCA CLAIMED.
BCA CLAIMED. >> WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO MAKE
SOME PRETTY IMPACTFUL REFORMS
IN MINNESOTA AND ONE OF THE
SUREST WAYS TO KILL A BILL IS
TO TACK ON A REALLY HIGH FISCAL
NOTE.
NOTE.
NOTE. >>
NOTE. >> Reporter: FOR KARE 11
INVESTIGATES, REPORTING ON THE
UNTESTED, I AM A.J.
LAGOE.
LAGOE.
LAGOE. >>> KARE 11 REQUESTED
INTERVIEWS WITH BOTH BCA
DIRECTOR AND THE PUBLIC
COMMISSIONER, THE
COMMISSIONER, THE COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE NEVER
RESPONDED, THE BCA DIRECTOR
DECLINED, BUT THROUGH