New move to clear DNA backlog

With the Los Angeles Police Department facing a growing backlog in processing rape kits, a Los Angeles city panel Monday pushed for new ways to speed DNA testing, from hiring more outside firms to changing federal laws. Daily News.

The City Council's Public Safety Committee recommended that the city spend $377,000 on private firms to help test DNA, in addition to existing plans to hire more criminalists. The funds were freed up because of bureaucratic delays in hiring the criminalists, a problem which frustrated some council members.

Also, City Council President Eric Garcetti urged the City Council's Public Safety Committee to exempt criminalists from the city furlough program, which requires them to stay home from work 10 percent of the time.