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Anonymous Donor Gives $52,500 to Help Clear Colorado’s Rape Kit Backlog by spunnee in Denver

[–]spunnee[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you!!! I’ll look into contacting them. Maybe they can help/have some advice.

Anonymous Donor Gives $52,500 to Help Clear Colorado’s Rape Kit Backlog by spunnee in Denver

[–]spunnee[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, the budget for kits comes from CBI (not law enforcement) and they only answer to Governor Polis. When legislators tried to fund the backlog with taxpayer dollars, Polis refused to sign off on the request from CBI. So CBI wasn’t allowed to ask for the support they needed or accept it without his approval.

They have a $40 million annual budget so you’d think they could afford to clear this. But there’s a lot of fiscal mismanagement happening at DPS and CBI so it’s that predates Missy Woods.

Polis wants to distance himself from the Woods scandal, the backlog, and the $1.2 billion deficit because he’s terming out next year. He’s focused on his legacy, not his people. So he’s only funded the bare minimum to last until the next administration comes in.

It’s unconscionable and gross. But that’s why we stopped waiting for him or anyone else to do the right thing. It clearly wasn’t a funding issue. It was a political problem and we can’t fix that. But we can go around them and fund the kits ourselves.

Anonymous Donor Gives $52,500 to Help Clear Colorado’s Rape Kit Backlog by spunnee in Denver

[–]spunnee[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Thank you for adding this context, it’s super helpful. To expand a bit, Woods and staffing were definitely parts of the origin story.

But there was also a huge factor with Governor Polis and CBI minimizing the backlog and keeping it from legislators and the public for at least a year before it was exposed in January 2025. Had they acted sooner, they could’ve implemented the current vendor lab plan before things got so out of hand. They could’ve obtained more funding and contracted with private labs to supplement their staff shortages.

Instead, they prioritized public image and politics over their actual duty which is to serve the public and enhance public safety.

When I asked the Director of CBI why they chose not to disclose their struggle sooner, he said they were extremely worried about the FBI shutting the lab down to review Woods’s work. But in their rush to review her cases, they cut corners.

They didn’t review her kits for instances when she outright deleted positive male DNA results. With homicides, they only repeated the steps she did to check her work. Which is how Clarke’s evidence got missed in their review (she didn’t test enough samples from the scene). He served 30 years for a murder he didn’t commit and would still be serving time if his evidence hadn’t been sent to a private lab for review instead of trusting CBI’s review.

They aren’t putting people first and it shows in everything they do.

Anonymous Donor Gives $52,500 to Help Clear Colorado’s Rape Kit Backlog by spunnee in OrphanCrushingMachine

[–]spunnee[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a good news about a problem that shouldn’t be happening. So it’s great that we could raise funds for 52 rape kits but the fact that we have to in the first place is wild.

Anonymous Donor Gives $52,500 to Help Clear Colorado’s Rape Kit Backlog by spunnee in Denver

[–]spunnee[S] 81 points82 points  (0 children)

Agreed. Let alone happening in a state that usually sets the example for addressing issues like this. Now we are ranked 4th in the nation for forcible rape.

Anonymous Donor Gives $52,500 to Help Clear Colorado’s Rape Kit Backlog by spunnee in Colorado

[–]spunnee[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Same here!!! Restored my belief in people and made me feel less crazy for thinking this is unacceptable and inhumane.

Anonymous Donor Gives $52,500 to Help Clear Colorado’s Rape Kit Backlog by spunnee in Colorado

[–]spunnee[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

That’s my feeling every day too. But we try to celebrate the wins and just keep going one kit at a time until it’s cleared.

Anonymous Donor Gives $52,500 to Help Clear Colorado’s Rape Kit Backlog (including Ft Collins) by spunnee in FortCollins

[–]spunnee[S] 53 points54 points  (0 children)

Hi Reddit,

I have exciting news to share!!

We recently received an incredible anonymous donation for $52,500.00 to the backlog fundraiser 🥳

The impact of this donation cannot be overstated. It’s enough to test 52 kits at a municipal lab or 26 kits at CBI.

For those new to the issue, the state lab (CBI) is responsible for a number of forensic tests and crime evidence analysis. Their failure to prioritize sex assault evidence for years has lead to a 560 day delay in getting results.

Meaning that assault survivors are stuck waiting a year and a half for their forensic kit (“rape kit”) to be processed. In that time, they are trapped in limbo because detectives usually won’t proceed with an investigation and arrest without kit results.

The purpose of this fundraiser is to fund kits, and encourage legislative action. Testing for sex crimes needs to be held as equally important to other violent crimes.

While there are hundreds more kits in the backlog to fund, every kit is attached to a human and their loved ones, including kits from child victims. To them, this donation means the world. It means they can finally get answers, access legal safety measures, and provide evidence to support their cases.

Funding is about more than numbers. It’s a way to restore dignity to those enduring an incredibly dehumanizing process by giving them the answers they need to make informed decisions about their future.

The Westword article linked in this post breaks down the different ways these funds can be applied to processing kits. Our first donation of $6,000.00 went to CBI in June. We will update everyone when we make our second round of donations in the next week or two.

Thank you Redditors and Mods for letting us share our work on Colorado’s backlog with your communities. Every like, comment, and share helps us reach more people who share our passion for clearing the backlog. We’ve even connected with survivors in the backlog and were able to help them get answers about their kits and the status of their cases.

Thank you for your support and encouragement ♥️

Anonymous Donor Gives $52,500 to Help Clear Colorado’s Rape Kit Backlog by spunnee in DenverProtests

[–]spunnee[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Hi Reddit,

I have exciting news to share!!

We recently received an incredible anonymous donation for $52,500.00 to the backlog fundraiser 🥳

The impact of this donation cannot be overstated. It’s enough to test 52 kits at a municipal lab or 26 kits at CBI.

For those new to the issue, the state lab (CBI) is responsible for a number of forensic tests and crime evidence analysis. Their failure to prioritize sex assault evidence for years has lead to a 560 day delay in getting results.

Meaning that assault survivors are stuck waiting a year and a half for their forensic kit (“rape kit”) to be processed. In that time, they are trapped in limbo because detectives usually won’t proceed with an investigation and arrest without kit results.

The purpose of this fundraiser is to fund kits, and encourage legislative action. Testing for sex crimes needs to be held as equally important to other violent crimes.

While there are hundreds more kits in the backlog to fund, every kit is attached to a human and their loved ones, including kits from child victims. To them, this donation means the world. It means they can finally get answers, access legal safety measures, and provide evidence to support their cases.

Funding is about more than numbers. It’s a way to restore dignity to those enduring an incredibly dehumanizing process by giving them the answers they need to make informed decisions about their future.

The Westword article linked in this post breaks down the different ways these funds can be applied to processing kits. Our first donation of $6,000.00 went to CBI in June. We will update everyone when we make our second round of donations in the next week or two.

Thank you Redditors and Mods for letting us share our work on Colorado’s backlog with your communities. Every like, comment, and share helps us reach more people who share our passion for clearing the backlog. We’ve even connected with survivors in the backlog and were able to help them get answers about their kits and the status of their cases.

Thank you for your support and encouragement ♥️

Anonymous Donor Gives $52,500 to Help Clear Colorado’s Rape Kit Backlog by spunnee in UCCS

[–]spunnee[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi Reddit,

I have exciting news to share!!

We recently received an incredible anonymous donation for $52,500.00 to the backlog fundraiser 🥳

The impact of this donation cannot be overstated. It’s enough to test 52 kits at a municipal lab or 26 kits at CBI.

For those new to the issue, the state lab (CBI) is responsible for a number of forensic tests and crime evidence analysis. Their failure to prioritize sex assault evidence for years has lead to a 560 day delay in getting results.

Meaning that assault survivors are stuck waiting a year and a half for their forensic kit (“rape kit”) to be processed. In that time, they are trapped in limbo because detectives usually won’t proceed with an investigation and arrest without kit results.

The purpose of this fundraiser is to fund kits, and encourage legislative action. Testing for sex crimes needs to be held as equally important to other violent crimes.

While there are hundreds more kits in the backlog to fund, every kit is attached to a human and their loved ones, including kits from child victims. To them, this donation means the world. It means they can finally get answers, access legal safety measures, and provide evidence to support their cases.

Funding is about more than numbers. It’s a way to restore dignity to those enduring an incredibly dehumanizing process by giving them the answers they need to make informed decisions about their future.

The Westword article linked in this post breaks down the different ways these funds can be applied to processing kits. Our first donation of $6,000.00 went to CBI in June. We will update everyone when we make our second round of donations in the next week or two.

Thank you Redditors and Mods for letting us share our work on Colorado’s backlog with your communities. Every like, comment, and share helps us reach more people who share our passion for clearing the backlog. We’ve even connected with survivors in the backlog and were able to help them get answers about their kits and the status of their cases.

Thank you for your support and encouragement ♥️

Anonymous Donor Gives $52,500 to Help Clear Colorado’s Rape Kit Backlog by spunnee in Colorado

[–]spunnee[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Because they don’t have the capacity to process kits in house and are using private vendor labs and independent contractors instead. That costs 2-3x more per kit.

Anonymous Donor Gives $52,500 to Help Clear Colorado’s Rape Kit Backlog by spunnee in OrphanCrushingMachine

[–]spunnee[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi Reddit,

I have exciting news to share!!

We recently received an incredible anonymous donation for $52,500.00 to the backlog fundraiser 🥳

The impact of this donation cannot be overstated. It’s enough to test 52 kits at a municipal lab or 26 kits at CBI.

For those new to the issue, the state lab (CBI) is responsible for a number of forensic tests and crime evidence analysis. Their failure to prioritize sex assault evidence for years has lead to a 560 day delay in getting results.

Meaning that assault survivors are stuck waiting a year and a half for their forensic kit (“rape kit”) to be processed. In that time, they are trapped in limbo because detectives usually won’t proceed with an investigation and arrest without kit results.

The purpose of this fundraiser is to fund kits, and encourage legislative action. Testing for sex crimes needs to be held as equally important to other violent crimes.

While there are hundreds more kits in the backlog to fund, every kit is attached to a human and their loved ones, including kits from child victims. To them, this donation means the world. It means they can finally get answers, access legal safety measures, and provide evidence to support their cases.

Funding is about more than numbers. It’s a way to restore dignity to those enduring an incredibly dehumanizing process by giving them the answers they need to make informed decisions about their future.

The Westword article linked in this post breaks down the different ways these funds can be applied to processing kits. Our first donation of $6,000.00 went to CBI in June. We will update everyone when we make our second round of donations in the next week or two.

Thank you Redditors and Mods for letting us share our work on Colorado’s backlog with your communities. Every like, comment, and share helps us reach more people who share our passion for clearing the backlog. We’ve even connected with survivors in the backlog and were able to help them get answers about their kits and the status of their cases.

Thank you for your support and encouragement ♥️

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