Researcher looking into rape kit backlog

It looks like something good might come out of the startling news two years ago that more than 10,000 rape kits in Detroit were found in a warehouse, untested.

Michigan State University researcher Rebecca Campbell is sifting through policies and interviewing police staff in Detroit to try and figure out why the sexual assault kits were gathering dust instead of getting tested.

And she says her findings won’t just apply to Detroit:

"Oh, this is not unique to Detroit. Not at all. This is happening in communities all throughout the United States."

Campbell’s work is funded through a justice department grant. She says she’s been sharing her findings with Detroit authorities in real time. Ultimately, she’ll draft recommendations and procedures she’ll submit to the justice department to prevent similar backlogs across the country.