Last year evidence collected from victims was analyzed by the crime lab only half of the time, and there is a backlog of 2,000 untested "rape kits" over the last ten years.
Rape survivors are turning to the courts, claiming that cities that ignore potential DNA evidence are violating survivors' civil rights.
Three out of four state counties have now submitted a record detailing the number of untested rape kits.
Legislation was recently signed requiring forensic evidence from sexual assault and rape cases to be preserved for at least 15 years.
The first Detroit Sexual Assault Kit Summit drew hundreds from around 40 states and dozens of Michigan cities attended to discuss the handling of sexual assault cases.
In this video, members from the Nevada Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Working Group describe the importance of using available resources, including research and federal support from the National Institute of Justice, in making progress towards processing untested sexual assault kits.
The lab has done such a good job clearing the backlog of rape kits that it's getting state and national attention.
More than 100 rape kits will be sent to a lab for testing.
Lean principles resulted in a sharp reduction of processing times for forensic DNA tests at the Marysville Crime Lab.
The rise in rape reports - 127 so far in 2016, up from 82 a year ago - may be due to victims' being more likely to contact police as opposed to an indicator that rape itself is on the rise.
The state Department of Justice announced it would begin testing a backlog of more than 6,000 rape kits. The news comes after the issue of Wisconsin's sexual assault kit backlog was questioned.