Biden, Lynch announce $79M fund to help police test rape kits nationwide

NEW YORK, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Loretta Lynch traveled Thursday to New York City to address nearly $79 million that's been raised to help police nationwide clear a backlog of untested rape kits.

Biden announced the initiative back in March intended to raise money to help make a dent in the backlog in police departments from coast to coast. The federal government earmarked $41 million for the initiative and New York City raised an additional $38 million.

The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative will fund testing of about 70,000 kits in 27 states.

"DNA technology is the guilty person's worst enemy,'' Biden said Thursday. "It reduces the total number of victims ... But the second thing it does is, it sets women free who've been victimized.''

Biden and Lynch were joined by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance during Thursday's news conference.

A decade ago, New York was among the first major U.S. cities to launch an effort to clear their backlog of untested rape kits -- which contain traces of DNA collected from the victims' bodies immediately after an assault.

"We are going to help cities counties and states across the country, coast to coast to do exactly the same,'' Vance said. "It's estimated there are hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits sitting in police storage facilities nationwide. What stands in the way of testing them is money and the will to get the job done.''

Biden's New York trip included other stops Thursday, as many observers continue to keep an eye on the vice president to see if he will launch a bid for the Democratic nomination next year. After the news conference, Biden attended an event to call for the raising of New York's minimum wage to $15 per hour.

The police departments who receive federal assistance in testing the kits will have to pay for them up front, officials said, and will be reimbursed by the fund if certain requirements are met.