February 24, 2025 – CBI – Lakewood, CO – The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is announcing the launch of a new public dashboard on its website dedicated to tracking the agency's progress in addressing the backlog of sexual assault kit testing. The dashboard provides regular updates on the agency's efforts to reduce the current turnaround time of over 500 days for testing sexual assault kits.
“We acknowledge it is taking us too long to complete DNA cases. We are committed to an aggressive plan to bring this turnaround time down to our goal of 90 days as quickly as possible,“ said CBI Director Schaefer. “We understand the importance of timely processing of sexual assault kits and the impact this backlog has on survivors. This dashboard demonstrates our commitment to transparency and accountability as we work diligently to overcome the extraordinary circumstances that contributed to this issue and to eliminate the backlog and bring justice to survivors."
The sexual assault case backlog, currently at approximately 1,400 cases, has been significantly impacted by the demands of the Yvonne “Missy” Woods internal investigation. In 2024, approximately 50% of all DNA analysts’ lab time was spent reviewing the more than 10,000 cases Woods worked on during her 29-year career. To now address the DNA backlog, the CBI is implementing a multi-pronged approach, including outsourcing 1,000 cases to private accredited laboratories. This effort is intended to overcome the current backlog and at the same time reduce the growing total of new cases submitted to the CBI. This initiative is made possible by funding allocated by state lawmakers specifically for reducing the backlog.
The dashboard currently tracks the DNA and Sexual Assault case backlogs and turnaround times and will grow to incorporate additional metrics over the next few months.
The CBI is actively working to increase its internal capacity for DNA analysis. Currently, the agency has 16 DNA scientists working cases. Recognizing the lengthy training period required for DNA forensic scientists (approximately 2 years), the CBI is taking several steps to bolster its team:
- 15 DNA scientists are currently in training, with 10 expected to complete training in 2025 and the remaining 5 in mid-2026.
- Barring unexpected personnel changes, our goal is 31 DNA scientists dedicated to sexual assault kits and other critical DNA analysis for working cases by October 2026. This would represent a 93% increase in DNA scientist staffing.
The CBI acknowledges the significant impact of the Woods investigation on lab operations and appreciates the support from the Governor’s Office and state lawmakers in providing the necessary funding to address this critical issue. The public dashboard will provide ongoing updates as the agency works to eliminate the backlog and improve the timeliness of sexual assault kit testing. With the implementation of the outsourcing and ongoing internal efforts the CBI expects the first positive decline in the month of July. A year from now the CBI expects to cut the backlog in half.
The dashboard can be accessed on the CBI Website under the link Eliminating the Backlog.