ALBANY – Governor Andrew Cuomo is spearheading a new effort to help protect rape victims by keeping rape kits in storage longer.
The Governor is pushing new legislation that would change the amount of time hospitals keep the kits. Cuomo wants hospitals to store them for at least five years or until the victim turns 19, whichever option gives a victim the most amount of time to decide whether to report the incident to police.
Once a rape kit is collected, it’s sent to a police crime lab for testing. After that, it’s sent to a police evidence vault.
The proposal would require hospital to let victims know when the rape kit is destroyed to make room for others.
