A recent audit by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor found that the state mishandled sexual assault kits due to procedural gaps.
The report, which analyzed data collected from July 2024 through December 2025, identified that 337 out of 1,879 reported sexual assault kits—approximately 18%—had not been submitted to a crime lab as of February 2026.
The findings highlight systemic issues regarding how law enforcement agencies and crime labs manage evidence. While state law mandates that reported sexual assault kits be sent to a crime lab, the audit said that there is no clear requirement for labs to process every kit received. This has resulted in inconsistent testing decisions across the state’s six crime labs.
“One crime lab stated that it tests all kits submitted by law enforcement, while the other five crime labs stated that they will not test a kit if law enforcement or the district attorney informs them that the case will not be pursued,” the audit report said.
Several labs indicated they rely on their own internal judgment to prioritize testing based on administrative or circumstantial factors, rather than a uniform state policy.
Auditors Find Widespread Failures in Kit Tracking Infrastructure
Beyond the testing backlog, auditors found widespread failures in the state’s tracking infrastructure. At least 560 of 2,138 kits collected during the same period failed to meet established legal deadlines for law enforcement pickup or submission to a laboratory. The current tracking system also suffers from limited status options and incomplete participation from various agencies, which can leave survivors without reliable updates regarding the status of their evidence.
The report concluded that the state currently lacks an oversight authority or a mechanism for penalties to enforce compliance with these tracking requirements. Legislative Auditor Michael Waguespack suggested that the state could improve compliance by publicizing an annual report detailing which agencies are failing to follow established protocols.
The audit said that while the number of kits submitted to labs increased from 643 in fiscal year 2024 to 1,011 in 2025, crime lab staff reported being overwhelmed by the demand. “Several labs stated that testing kits involves greater complexity and resources than most other types of DNA testing, and that testing more kits limits how much DNA testing they can perform for other types of crimes, such as homicides,” the report said.
Communication Gaps Hinder CODIS DNA Match Notifications
The audit also scrutinized how potential DNA matches are handled through the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). In fiscal year 2025, at least 39 kits resulted in a CODIS hit, yet the audit identified gaps in communication between labs and law enforcement regarding these findings. These lapses in notification can lead to situations where potential investigative leads remain unaddressed.
To address these concerns, auditors recommended the implementation of standardized procedures for notifying agencies about matches and tracking subsequent follow-up actions. State law now requires the Louisiana State Police to develop a system specifically designed to track unresolved CODIS hits.
State Police Superintendent Col. Frank Besson, whose agency oversees the lab responsible for about half of the state’s sexual assault kit testing, has agreed to adopt the auditor’s recommendations to improve accountability. The agency has already initiated corrective actions and process improvements to strengthen oversight and enhance operational effectiveness.
Since 2023, the Louisiana Legislature has passed a flurry of legislation dealing with the tracking and testing of rape kits, though the auditor’s report suggests that additional oversight and clear, mandatory testing requirements remain necessary to ensure all kits are processed in a timely manner.
