Three law enforcement agencies in the Phoenix area and Tucson are receiving new funding to reduce backlogs of untested DNA evidence in rape cases.
The Arizona funding includes $1.9 million for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, $360,000 for the Tempe Police Department and $1 million for the Tucson police Department.
The funding is coming from a New York City district attorney's office which is using assets forfeiture proceeds to provide $38 million to agencies in 20 states.
The White House is contributing an additional $41 million toward the effort.
Experts say testing the samples promptly and comparing them to federal DNA databases for hits is crucial because many sex offenders are serial rapists who sometimes travel, committing crimes as they move.
