Auditor: Despite improvements, Louisiana's sexual assault kit tracking system could still be strengthened

Auditor: Despite improvements, Louisiana's sexual assault kit tracking system could still be strengthened

BATON ROUGE — While the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab's sexual assault kit tracking system complies with state law, the Legislative Auditor's office feels these laws could be strengthened to improve the information tracked and displayed for sexual assault survivors.

As of February 2026, law enforcement had not submitted 337 of the 1,879 reported sexual assault kits collected from July 2024 through December 2025 as required by law. The auditor's report released Monday notes that state law does not explicitly say that all kits submitted to crime labs must be tested.

Louisiana created its current tracking system in 2023, joining 40 other states to allow victims to track the status of their rape kits. Starting in August 2026, the state requires the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab to create a statewide Combined DNA Index System hit tracking system to increase accountability and transparency regarding law enforcement follow-up on incidents.

The state's kit tracking system does not always display the accurate location and status of the kit. The auditor says this is because the sys...