Rape kits by APG-West (Idaho Press)

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Wednesday, February 24, 2016

INCONSISTENT SEXUAL ASSAULT

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The Idaho State Police Forensic Services lab is seen here testing for DNA samples. The submission of rape kits for DNA collection is left entirely up to law enforcement discretion and the submission rates vary widely among police departments in Idaho.

A STATE WIDE ISSUE Examination of 22 law enforcement agencies in Idaho finds discrepancy in rape kit testing By RUTH BROWN rbrown@idahopress.com

NAMPA — In Pocatello, the rate is 26 percent. In Nampa, only 10. In Coeur d’Alene, though, testing rates are at 60 percent. Those are the percentages of rape and sexual assault evidence collection kits that each law enforcement agency has submitted, over a five-year timeframe, to the state lab for testing. In November, the Idaho PressTribune published two stories after learning that Canyon County law enforcement’s submission of rape kits varied widely in testing rates. They ranged from 10 percent in the Nampa Police Department, to 54 percent submitted by the Caldwell Police Department and 52 percent of Canyon County Sheriff ’s Office kits were submitted for testing. After learning of a lack of uniform policy on the submission of the kits, the Press-Tribune reviewed 22 Idaho law enforcement agencies using public record requests. The review found great disparity in rape kit testing among each law enforcement agencies. Over five years, Twin Falls Police, for example, had a 23 percent submission rate while Moscow Police had a 35 percent submission rate of rape kits being sent for testing at a lab. Moscow Police, from Nov. 23, 2010, to Nov. 23, 2015, collected 55 kits and sent 19 to a lab. The Twin Falls Police Department, from Jan. 1, 2010, to Nov. 3, 2015, collected 84 kits and only sent 19 to a lab for testing. Meanwhile, the Meridian Police Department collected 40 kits from Oct. 1, 2010, through Nov. 4, 2015. Of those collected, 32 kits were sent to a lab. That’s an 80 percent submission rate. Currently in Idaho, if a law enforcement agency determines

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MERIDIAN — Three West Ada School District trustees announced Tuesday they will stand for recall elections rather than resign. The board’s next step is to schedule a recall election on the next available date — the May 17 primary election. The trustees who will stand for recall are: n Tina Dean, zone 1, elected in May 2013 n Carol Sayles, zone 3, elected in May 2013 n Russell Joki, zone 5, elected in May Trustee Julie Madsen, facing a potential recall election in zone 4, resigned Friday, saying the recall efforts harmed the district’s ability to focus on students and to raise taxpayer support. The fifth board member, Mike Vuittonet, was also the subject of recall efforts, but that group dropped its efforts last month. Some patrons are still calling for Vuittonet to resign because he co-chairs the recall committee against the other four trustees. The recall measure will be on the May 17 ballot for Ada and Canyon county residents who live in those trustee zones. The recall committee will have 200 words to explain why the trustees should be recalled, and each trustee will have 200 words to justify why he or she should stay in office. Trustees will continue in their normal roles for the time being. The board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the District Service Center in Meridian to interview candidates and possibly appoint a new trustee to fill Madsen’s seat through 2019. More TRUSTEES | A17

Group announces instant racing bill; hearing blocked By KIMBERLEE KRUESI Associated Press

TERESA BAKER/IDAHO STATE POLICE

AN IDAHO PRESS-TRIBUNE INVESTIGATION

no crime has been committed or the case is no longer being investigated as a crime, a sexual assault kit may not be sent to a laboratory for testing. Kits are also not submitted for testing if a victim decides he or she does not want the kit tested. The term rape kit is used to describe the forensic exam a person may undergo after an alleged sexual assault, which looks for evidence that sex abuse has occurred. Through the record requests, some law enforcement agencies couldn’t provide a reason as to why some specific cases didn’t have a sexual assault kit tested for evidence, and other agencies estimated it would take as long as 60

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WHAT IS A RAPE KIT? A sexual assault evidence collection kit is used in a forensic exam, and “rape kit” it is a term commonly used when referencing an examination searching for evidence that a sexual assault has occurred. In addition to documenting any physical trauma on the body, blood and urine samples may be taken from the victim during the forensic exam. Evidence such as clothing or sheets at the site of a sexual assault can later be collected and sent in for testing with the kit, as well. Kits may be submitted under the name of John Doe or Jane Doe if the alleged victim wants to remain anonymous. Law enforcement cannot force a victim to undergo a rape kit exam after an alleged assault. A victim may refuse to have the exam or report to a hospital.

hours to find the answer on why some kits weren’t tested — stating the agency did not track that explanation in an easily accessible way.

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BOISE (AP) — A coalition of Idaho’s horsemen groups say their best hope to avoid financial ruin can’t even get out of the gate because lawmakers are unwilling to consider reapproving lucrative betting machines known as instant racing. The Idaho Horsemen’s Coalition announced Tuesday a proposal that would create a state gaming commission to license and regulate electronic gaming while also permitting instant racing terminals to operate in Idaho. The bill would not include oversight of the state lottery, but it would regulate tribal gaming. “It is our hope and expectation to get this proposal to the Senate floor for a fair debate and vote and begin a controlled process to bring live horse racing back,” said Monty Arrossa, a member of the coalition. Instant horse racing allows bettors to place wages on prior horse races with no identifiable information. The terminals have spinning wheels, sounds and animations that mimic slot machines. But unlike the one-armed bandits, supporters say the machines use a legal parimutuel betting system — which pits bettors against each other and gives the house a percentage of the winnings. Profits from the machines were then divided among the tracks and horsemen groups. More RACING | A17

CORRECTIONS n State Rep. Greg Chaney, R-Caldwell, had the idea for a group to meet to discuss a community college trustee zoning bill. A story on Page A4 on Feb. 17 incorrectly attributed the idea to Sen. Bert Brackett. nNampa schools superintendent David Peterson’s new salary will begin July 2016. The starting date of his salary was incorrect in a story on Page A1 Tuesday.

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Rape/from A1 The Press-Tribune’s record requests illustrate the lack of uniform statewide policy on how to track whether a rape kit is sent to a lab for testing. At the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, from April 8, 2014 – Nov. 30, 2015, it collected 18 kits. Of those, eight were submitted, nine were not sent in and one belonged to another agency. However, to find numbers of rape kits collected and tested over a full five-year time frame, the agency estimated 60 hours of labor would be needed to find the answer. The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office estimated fees of up to nearly $800 for further explanation because data prior to April 8, 2014, was not readily accessible. The Idaho Press-Tribune declined to pay the fee. A bill proposed by Rep. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, last week would change how sexual assault kits are tracked by all law enforcement agencies in Idaho and could provide some general explanations as to why some may go untested. The bill is currently working its way through the Statehouse. “When tested, DNA evidence … inside those rape kits can be an incredibly powerful tool to solve and prevent a crime,” Wintrow said when first proposing the bill to legislators. “It can identify an unknown assailant and confirm the known suspect. It can affirm the survivor’s account of the attack and discredit the suspect. It can tie the suspect to other crime scenes and it can exonerate the wrongfully convicted or accused.” IDAHO TESTING There is no state law in place regarding the submission of rape kits for testing. The Idaho State Police Forensic Services lab currently has a policy with two criteria on why a kit may not be tested: 1. Law enforcement determines no crime has been committed. 2. A victim requests his or her kit not be tested. From Jan. 1, 2010, to Nov. 15, 2015, Garden City Police collected 25 kits and submitted 14 of them to a lab for testing, or 56 percent. Of the 11 never sent in for testing, Garden City Police said seven kits weren’t sent because prosecutors declined to pursue STATEWIDE STATISTICS The following statistics were collected from individual law enforcement agencies through public records requests by the Idaho Press-Tribune and are listed by agency name in alphabetical order. Note: Some of the agencies used different language in descriptions and collected data from similar but not always the exact same time-frames. Some law enforcement agencies also provided more detailed responses than others to public records requests. n Ada County Sheriff’s Office: 51 percent

From 2010 to mid-2015 79 kits collected 40 kits were submitted for testing 8 more kits will be submitted to FBI lab In 2015 to the date provided: 14 collected 4 were not submitted 10 will be submitted to FBI Of 21 other kits not sent 5 were false reports 3 were unfounded or consensual 1 kit had a legal age of consent issue 2 cases had a victim recant 5 cases had uncooperative victims 3 cases were from other jurisdictions 1 case involved two minors 1 kit was a duplicate swab 51 percent submission rate

n American Falls Police Department: 63

percent From January 2010-November 2015 8 kits collected 5 sent to a lab 3 not sent Of the 3 not sent: 1 case was determined not to be a crime 1 case had prosecution declined 1 kit’s lack of submission for testing was unknown 63 percent submission rate

n Blackfoot Police Department/Bingham

County Sheriff’s Office combined: 45 percent From Jan. 1, 2010 – Nov. 24, 2015 33 kits were collected 15 sent to a lab 18 not sent Of the 18 not sent 5 cases were per victim refusal 5 cases had prosecution declined 5 cases had no crime or the claim unfounded 3 cases are still pending investigations 45 percent submission rate

n Blaine County Sheriff’s Office / Ketchum

Police Department share evidence collection: 100 percent From Jan. 1, 2010 to Nov. 1, 2015 4 kits collected All were tested Of the 4 kits tested 1 kit was from BCSO 3 kits from KPD

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charges, and four kits were not sent per the victim’s refusal. If Wintrow’s legislation passes, the Garden City Police would be required to keep track of what happened to those 11 untested kits and maintain an explanation as to why they weren’t tested. ISP’s lab in Meridian is responsible for testing all kits from Idaho law enforcement agencies, with the exception of some that are tested at an FBI lab. DNA MATCHING SUCCESS Some police officials have agreed the purpose of sending a rape kit in for testing stretches beyond verifying that one individual committed one crime, but it can also benefit police by entering the DNA into a national database, which could tie that suspect to DNA found in other crimes. The Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, is the FBI’s national database, which combines federal, state and local DNA profiles. The National DNA Index contains more than 12.1 million offender profiles, 2.2 million arrestee profiles and 674,150 forensic profiles as of December, according to the FBI’s website. As of December, CODIS had produced more than 315,410 hits assisting in more than 303,201 investigations, according to the FBI. In Idaho, the FBI has tracked 31 cases in which a DNA sample aided in an investigation as of December 2015. “I see the value in testing the kits, even if I don’t want to prosecute,” Wintrow said about kit submission. “What if it’s a match (to another sample in the database)?” IDAHO RAPE KIT PROCEDURE A common question on whether testing a kit is necessary stems from whether the suspect acknowledges DNA would exist because sex did occur — meaning both parties admit their DNA would likely be present in the samples collected. In the past, Idaho State Police Forensic Services Lab required a reference sample be sent in with the kit, meaning a sample from the suspect. In 2014, the lab changed some policies on kit submission but still does not mandate all rape kits be submitted for testing. It is the responsibility of each law enforcement agency to send kits to the lab. According to ISP policy on processing sexual assault kits, kits collected since January 2014 required reference samples Boise Police Department: unknown From Jan. 1, 2011 to Nov. 13, 2015 202 kits collected To find how many of those 202 kits were tested, BPD stated it would cost $600. That fee would stem from 20 hours of staff work to prepare the number and two to three hours of attorney review time. The Idaho Press-Tribune declined to pay the fee. n Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office: 44

percent From April 8, 2014 – Nov. 30, 2015 18 kits were collected 8 sent to a lab 9 not sent 1 belonged to another agency BCSO estimated costs of up to nearly $800 for further explanation on submission due to an estimated 60 hours of needed labor to find the answer. Data prior to April 8, 2014, was not readily accessible, according to BCSO. The Idaho Press-Tribune declined to pay the fee. 44 percent submission rate

n Caldwell Police Department: 54 percent

From Jan. 1, 2010, to Sept. 30, 2015 79 kits collected 37 were sent to a lab 26 were never sent 10 were sent to the lab but never tested 6 currently at the lab Of the untested kits CPD estimated it would take nine hours to find why kits went untested and anticipated a fee of $190.19. The Idaho Press-Tribune declined to pay the fee. 54 percent submission rate

n Canyon County Sheriff’s Office: 52 percent

From Jan. 1, 2010, to Sept. 30, 2015 46 kits collected 24 sent to a lab 22 not sent Of the 22 kits not sent 2 cases were referred to another agency 5 had no charges filed 4 were unfounded 4 were per the victim’s refusal 7 cases pending 52 percent submission rate

n Coeur d’Alene Police Department: 60

percent From Jan. 1, 2010 to Nov. 10, 2015 129 kits collected 78 sent to a lab 51 not sent Of the 51 kits not sent 9 were collected by CdAP, but sent to another agency 11 were “Jane Doe” kits (The agency uses the Kootenai County Protocol for Jane Doe cases.) 8 cases prosecution declined 4 kits weren’t sent, but prosecution was pursued 4 cases were unfounded 15 cases currently under active

BOISE’S NUMBERS Finding exact numbers on how many kits were collected by Boise Police remains unclear, as public records requests by the Idaho Press-Tribune did not fully answer questions. At the Boise Police Department, 202 kits were collected from Jan. 1, 2011, to Nov. 13, 2015. When asked how many of those kits had been sent in for testing, BPD spokesman Ryan Larrondo said it would require an estimated 20 hours of staff work to prepare the number and two to three hours of attorney review time to answer. The agency estimated a fee of $600 would be assessed to pay for labor finding the number of tested kits. The Press-Tribune declined to pay the fee.

“or advanced approval from the lab of the extenuating circumstances why reference samples cannot be obtained. Every effort must be made to get reference and elimination samples on these cases.” An elimination sample would be a DNA sample submitted with the kit to rule out someone who is not a suspect. The change resulted in the potential to submit kits that had not been tested by the lab in the past. Boise Police Sgt. Kip Higby said in 2014, his department reviewed the number of untested rape kits collected and found 173 were never submitted. Since the Idaho State Police had changed its policy and no longer required a reference sample, the agency reviewed the 173 old cases and found that about 100 of those kits were eligible for submission, Higby said. Higby, a former detective within the Boise Police Department’s Special Victims Unit, said the “vast majority” of the kits that weren’t sent in for testing were because of a consent issue, meaning they were not searching for a suspect’s DNA because that suspect already admitted he or she had sex with the alleged victim. This would apply to cases in which both the alleged victim and the suspect agree that sex occurred but dispute whether the interaction was consensual. Under previous submission criteria in place by ISP’s lab, those kits would not have been applicable for submission, Higby said. Higby said the value of the kits is more than just identifying a suspect in one case. He said submitting kits for testing is valuable in that any DNA found is entered into a database regardless of whether prosecution is pursued or if a guilty conviction is reached. The DNA can be used to identify a person involved in other crimes. DNA profiles are not public record, so even if a person is never charged or convicted, the general public would not be able to know if a person’s DNA is submitted to the database. “If we can prove there is a pattern of behavior (by a suspect), it’s much more likely to get prosecution if we can link (a BPD case) to two or three other cases, with different victims and show his (modus operandi) is the same, the story is same, and the victim is similar,” Higby said. Connecting the pattern of behavior as well as the DNA proof is beneficial in cases where the only question is consent, not a investigation 60 percent Garden City Police: 56 percent From Jan. 1, 2010 to Nov. 15, 2015 25 kits collected 14 sent to a lab 11 not sent Of the 11 never sent 7 cases had prosecution declined 4 cases were per victim refusal 56 percent submission rate n Idaho Falls Police Department: 43 percent

From Oct. 4, 2010 to Nov. 4, 2015 150 kits collected 65 sent to a lab 85 never tested Of the 85 untested kits For further explanation on why kits weren’t tested, IFPD estimated 32 hours of labor and a fee of $700. The Idaho PressTribune declined to pay the fee. 43 percent submission rate

n Meridian Police Department: 80 percent

From Oct. 1, 2010 – Nov. 4, 2015 40 kits collected 32 sent to a lab 8 never sent Of the 8 never sent in 1 victim didn’t want to pursue prosecution 1 victim was unsure of events, but a report was taken for information 1 juvenile prosecuting attorney declined prosecution 1 case had a victim request investigation stop while seeking mental health care 1 Ada County prosecuting attorney declined prosecution 1 case closed per victim request 1 case prosecution was declined 1 case the victim was not want to pursue any further investigation Note from MPD: 100 percent of qualified kits have been submitted – all kits have a known suspect 80 percent submission rate Middleton Police Department No rape/sexual assault kits collected.

n Moscow Police Department: 35 percent

From Nov. 23, 2010-Nov. 23, 2015 55 kits collected 19 sent to a lab 25 not sent to a lab and remain in storage 11 not sent to a lab and have been destroyed Of the untested kits: 11 prosecution declined 5 had an uncooperative victim 4 have not been sent “at this time” 6 cases had insufficient evidence 6 cases were unfounded 1 case stemmed from another law enforcement agency 1 case was a false report 1 case had a suspect found guilty without the kit being tested 1 case was dismissed

TO SEEK HELP If you are a sexual assault victim in need of help, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. The hotline services are available 24 hours a day and are free and confidential. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. The online hotline can be found at ohl.rainn.org/ online/.

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suspect’s identity. “That’s what I really see as the value of submitting those consent cases,” Higby said. Higby believes there should be some discretion in whether to submit a rape kit for testing, specifically if a victim does not want his or her kit tested. “The victim should have a say in that kit,” Higby said. “It’s not just the suspect’s DNA, it’s also the victim’s DNA (entered) in the database.” DNA in the state and national database does not all come from samples taken in sexual assault kits. Any person convicted of a felony in Idaho is required to submit a DNA sample to the state. This applies to people convicted of any type of felony, not just sex crimes. But when a victim does not oppose testing, Higby said he’s a “big proponent of submitting all kits.” THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION Wintrow’s bill would add the stipulation that if law enforcement decides not to submit a kit for testing, a county prosecutor must review the decision. Testing of all kits would not, however, be mandatory. The legislation also would add tracking policies for all kits and an audit mandating that law enforcement report how many kits that agency has obtained, how many kits went untested and the reason some kits were untested. As is, much of the decision to test a kit is at law enforcement discretion. The bill proposed by Wintrow also would change how officials decide which kits will remain untested. If it passes, the legislation would create a uniform policy among police agencies, rather than each agency having sole discretion on whether to send a kit in for testing. “If we don’t test the kits, what kind of a message does that send?” Wintrow said. Wintrow, former director of the Women’s Center at Boise State University, said the topic was especially important to her after working on a campus. “Many times what happens, especially on college campuses, is we will see what we call a serial rapist; where somebody may repeat the offense,” Wintrow said in a committee hearing. “So something like this could be very helpful in identifying the perpetrator.” Ruth Brown is the public safety and digital first reporter. Contact her at 465-8105 or rbrown@idahopress.com. Follow @RuthBrownNews. Of the kits sent to the lab, the status is: 14 sent to the lab are in storage 5 sent to the lab were later destroyed 35 percent submission rate n Nampa Police Department: 10 percent

From Jan. 1, 2010, to Oct. 5, 2015 117 kits collected 12 sent to a lab 105 never sent Of the 105 kits not submitted 26 were per the victim’s request 27 cases did result in an arrest, despite the kit not being tested 16 are being sent back to detectives for review of the case 7 cases it could not determine if the sex was consensual 5 cases belonged to other agencies 8 cases are active 8 cases had prosecution declined 7 victims were not truthful or recanted their story 1 case was unfounded due to a medical issue 10 percent submission rate Parma Police Department: 100 percent 2 kits collected, both tested

n Pocatello Police Department: 26 percent

From Jan. 1, 2010 to Dec. 23, 2015 117 kits were collected 31 sent to a lab 86 not sent Of those 86 kits 11 cases had an arrest, despite the kit not being tested 31 had an uncooperative victim 10 unfounded 4 false reports 5 cases involved PPD assisting another agency 2 were consensual 2 active cases 10 cases had the suspect admit to intercourse 9 cases prosecution declined 2 cases were juvenile-related, which PPD does not disclose information on 26 percent submission rate

n Post Falls Police Department: 30 percent

Over the last five years, as of Nov. 30, 2015 23 kits collected 7 sent to a lab 16 not sent Of the 16 kits not sent 7 cases were determined not to be crimes 9 cases were per victim refusal 30 percent submission rate Twin Falls Police Department: 23 percent From Jan. 1, 2010 to Nov. 3, 2015 84 kits collected 19 sent to a lab 65 never sent 23 percent submission rate

n Wilder Police Department

1 kit collected, never tested Parties stated it was consensual sex

SEE FOR YOURSLEF To see a copy of the proposed Idaho legislation on sexual assault kit evidence collection, visit this story at idahopress. com. The full proposed bill for HB 507, sponsored by Rep. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, is available for viewing online. C M Y K

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Thursday, March 24, 2016

ABDUCTED BY ALIENS?

Rape kit testing bill signed into law

Senate OKs tax cut study group Panel would issue recommendations next year

Law would mandate law enforcement track untested rape kits

BOISE (AP) — The Idaho Senate has backed a measure to establish an interim committee to explore ways to reduce Idaho’s corporate and income taxes. State budget writers introduced the proposal Wednesday morning and passed it on Senate floor by the afternoon, bypassing a legislative hearing. It will be heard on the House floor Thursday. The interim committee would be tasked with reviewing Idaho’s tax system and will report options on how to shave the corporate and personal income tax to the 2017 Idaho Legislature. Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill says the Legislature should be studying tax policy because it affects every citizen in the state. An informal tax-study group met last year to also study Idaho’s tax code, but the panel failed to agree on any recommendations on possible changes.

By RUTH BROWN rbrown@idahopress.com

BOISE — The Gem State’s first legislation regarding rape kit testing was signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Butch Otter. House Bill 528, sponsored by Rep. Melissa Wintrow, DBoise, will mandate all law enforcement agencies track the number A PRESS-TRIBUNE of sexual INVESTIGATION assault To see the Idaho evidence Press-Tribune’s previous kits collected and articles on rape kit report the testing, visit idahopress. com/rapekits. number of kits that go untested. The bill does not mandate all kits be tested. Rape kits are used during an exam preformed on an alleged victim after a sexual assault in an effort to find DNA evidence. Before the legislation was signed, Idaho State Police had a policy in place including two reasons a kit may not be submitted to a lab — if a victim requests his or her kit not be tested or if law enforcement determines no crime has been committed. The legislation will also implement deadlines for how quickly a kit must be submitted and tested. The law mandates that each law enforcement agency, if they choose to test a kit, must deliver it to the lab within 30 days. The lab would then have 90 days to test the kit and enter any discovered DNA codes into a national database.

Marshall Poole to take over IPT Instagram during Treefort Band to play number of eclectic shows

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o, these bighorn sheep aren’t being spirited away in UFOs, but Idaho Fish and Game is taking them briefly in the hopes of learning more about them. Find out why by reading the story on C1 in today’s Community section.

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Senior assisted living center to open in Caldwell Lenity Senior Living to hold groundbreaking By OLIVIA WEITZ oweitz@idahopress.com

CALDWELL — A living center that will provide memory care and living accommodations for seniors is coming to Caldwell. Lenity Senior Living is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony to begin construction of the building at 1:30 p.m. Friday. Attendees are asked to meet along East Indian

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Springs Street behind the Clock Tower Dental complex. Cece Schnuerle, residence sales manager at Assisted Living Concepts, wrote in an email that Lenity Senior living is locally owned and operated. “We’re gearing up to be the preferred choice in Caldwell and Canyon County for memory care and assisted living accommodations with unsurpassing quality for finer

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This rendering was included on a Lenity Senior Living flyer announcing the facility’s groundbreaking.

living,” Schnuerle wrote. “We practice an active approach to daily wellness.” The living center will be behind the Clock

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Tower Dental complex on East Ustick Road. The construction of the center is anticipated to take only a few months, open-

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ing later this summer. Olivia can be reached at 465-8107 or oweitz@ idahopress.com. Follow @ oliviaweitz1.

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By OLIVIA WEITZ

A rock ‘n’ roll band with 2C ties will “take over” the Press-Tribune’s Instagram account during the Treefort Music Fest by posting photos of performances behind the scenes and other various shenanigans. Self described as “Southern, psychedelic punk rock ... loud, poppy, thrashy rock ‘n’ roll,” Marshall Poole is playing for a third year in a row at Treefort. In previous years, the band has played on the festival’s Main Stage. Recently, they have been on a national tour promoting their recently released album entitled “Totems.” Marshall Poole is all over Treefort this year, playing a smattering of eclectic performances.

More TREEFORT | A7

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idaho press-tribune

SEVEN-DAY FORECAST TODAY

FRIDAY

Sunrise

Sunset

7:42a

8:04p

57°

38°

51°

SATURDAY

27°

SUNDAY

37°

55°

MONDAY

36°

54°

50°

TUESDAY

37°

56°

WEDNESDAY

35°

59°

35°

Mostly cloudy, a shower in the afternoon

A bit of a.m. snow, then a little rain

Plenty of sunshine

Cloudy

Cooler with times of clouds and sun

Windy; a touch of afternoon rain

Intervals of clouds and sunshine

27° RF: 53°/34°

RF: 45°/26°

RF: 63°/30°

RF: 56°/28°

RF: 44°/25°

RF: 47°/29°

RF: 61°/38°

RF: The patented AccuWeather.com RealFeel Temperature® is an exclusive index of the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body. Shown are the highest/lowest values for each day.

ALMANAC

Roland Steadham

AROUND THE NATION

as of 6 p.m. yesterday

Caldwell Airport

Seattle 51/41

High temperature 58° Low temperature 30° Normal high 61° Normal low 35° Precip., 24 hrs through 6 p.m. yest. 0.00”

Boise Airport High temperature 56° Low temperature 36° Normal high 57° Normal low 36° Record high 73° in 2004 Record low 19° in 2013 Precip., 24 hrs through 6 p.m. yest. 0.00” Month to date 1.41” Year to date 2.91” Last year to date 2.37” Normal year to date 3.29” Moon Phases

The Idaho Press-Tribune and KBOI have partnered to bring more accurate weather reports to you daily. Nampa temperatures are taken from the weather station located at the Idaho PressTribune. Also visit idahopress. com for morning and late afternoon video weather reports provided by KBOI.

Mar 31

Apr 7 Apr 13 Apr 21

Chicago 49/28

Denver 47/26

Detroit 61/32 Washington 76/62

Kansas City 47/27 Los Angeles 79/56

Atlanta 75/55

El Paso 69/42

Houston 67/44

Chihuahua 75/39

Miami 81/74

Monterrey 83/49 T-storms -10s

Rain -0s

Showers 0s

Snow

10s

20s

Flurries 30s

Ice 40s

Cold Front 50s

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Warm Front 70s

NATIONAL SUMMARY

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Albuquerque Anchorage Atlanta Austin Baltimore Billings Bismarck Boston Casper Cheyenne Chicago Cincinnati Dallas Denver Detroit Fargo Great Falls

63 45 75 70 74 53 58 43 46 43 49 65 66 47 61 46 51

68 44 69 73 71 42 45 62 41 39 46 51 72 43 46 47 38

Helena Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Juneau Kansas City Las Vegas Little Rock Los Angeles Louisville Miami Minneapolis New Orleans New York Oklahoma City Omaha Philadelphia

48 81 67 63 51 47 75 62 79 68 81 43 77 56 61 42 72

42 80 71 51 49 59 79 62 77 55 85 45 71 69 71 58 72

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s r s s pc sn sn r sn sn s pc s pc pc sn sn

31 70 44 34 36 27 54 37 56 41 74 26 55 54 36 26 60

c pc pc r c s s pc s t t pc t c s pc pc

Today Tomorrow Hi Lo W Hi Lo W

Challis Coeur d’Alene Grangeville Idaho Falls Jerome Lewiston McCall Mtn. Home AFB Ontario Pocatello Rexburg Salmon Spokane Stanley Twin Falls

46 48 44 46 52 53 38 55 57 50 46 47 50 37 51

23 69 49 35 40 44 55 41 55 37 74 35 54 41 48 35 43

sn c s s r pc s s s s c pc s sh s pc pc

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37 49 41 41 45 53 34 49 53 42 40 44 51 32 44

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110s

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City

Stationary Front

Warmth will be squeezed to the mid-Atlantic and southern Atlantic Seaboard today. Warmth will hold on over the central and southern Appalachians, despite showers and locally heavy thunderstorms erupting. Locally severe storms are forecast from the Ohio Valley to the central Gulf coast. Spotty storms will also affect the central and southern Florida Peninsula. Farther north, a wedge of chilly air will hold over much of New England with rain in the southern areas and ice and snow in the northern tier. Heavy snow will fall on parts of northern Michigan, as cold air and spotty snow wrap around the storm’s west side in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Much of the Plains and Southwest can expect a dry day. Areas of rain and mountain snow will spread from Washington and Oregon to Montana and Wyoming.

Full

Kansas City, Mo., already knows the danger of severe spring thunderstorms and tornadoes. However, on March 24, 1912, 25 inches of snow accumulated in 24 hours.

is the last snow of the Q: What season called?

A: The onion snow.

City

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Tomorrow Hi Lo W

Beijing London Madrid Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Sydney Toronto

58 53 64 79 29 52 60 79 37

59 57 64 80 33 54 60 78 40

City

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Phoenix Portland, OR Rapid City Reno City St. Louis Sacramento San Diego Sioux Falls Salt Lake City San Francisco Seattle Wash., DC Wichita

81 54 54 44 52 29 67 36 Hi Lo 61 34 71 46 75 56 37 19 57 38 66 51 51 41 76 62 57 31

85 57 55 39 48 18 67 33 Hi Lo 57 40 72 47 70 57 42 28 49 33 65 52 54 39 71 43 69 43

31 45 37 50 21 43 40 63 32

s r s pc sn c sh pc i

s sh pc sW c s s s pc s r s s

34 44 40 53 26 42 47 65 25

s pc pc pc s r s pc c

s sh sh pc W s s s pc r s c pc pc

Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice

Flight attendant who ditched heels, fled LAX security nabbed LOS ANGELES (AP) — A JetBlue flight attendant who authorities say left behind 70 pounds of cocaine worth up to $3 million after flinging off her heels and running from security at Los Angeles International Airport was arrested Wednesday in New York. Marsha Gay Reynolds

surrendered to federal authorities at John F. Kennedy International Airport, though it wasn’t immediately clear how she reached New York, federal officials said. Reynolds, who is a resident of New York, was expected to be in federal court in Brooklyn on Thursday, according to

U.S. Attorney’s spokesman Thom Mrozek. Transportation Security Administration officials asked Reynolds to step aside for a random security screening Friday, authorities said. Reynolds went to a secondary screening area but quickly dropped her bag, ditched a pair of Gucci heels and fled barefoot

downward on an upwardmoving escalator, Marshall McClain, president of the union representing LAX airport police officers, said Monday. Reynolds was charged with cocaine possession with intent to distribute. It was unclear if she yet had an attorney. Mrozek said prosecu-

tors believe reports that Reynolds was a runner-up in Miss Jamaica World 2008. New York University lists a Marsha-Gay Reynolds as having been on the school’s 2004 women’s track and field team, though it wasn’t immediately clear if that was the same Reynolds arrested Wednesday.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARSHALL POOLE

Marshall Poole playing on the Treefort music festival’s Main Stage in 2013.

Treefort/ from A1

The band begins its Treefort schedule at 10 p.m. Thursday with a 40-minute set at the Linen Building. On Friday, the band will play at the Treefort day party held at The Olympic Venue. Later on the evening, catch them at 8 p.m. at an off-beat electronic set under the name “Cornucopia.” This performance is part of Woodland Empire Ale Craft’s showcase series called Apes on Tape. During it, the band plans

BAND MEMBERS

MARSHALL POOLE TREEFORT SCHEDULE

Melanie Radford: vox/bass Rider Soraan: vox/guitar Michael Hoobery: percussion Seth Graham: keyboards/ guitar

Thursday: Linen building at 10 p.m. 1402 W. Grove St., Boise

to wear different masks associated with the album art on “Totems.” The band will join Boise-based Built to Spill and over 20 other bands on Saturday for a collaborative, outdoor performance that is orchestrated to create a new sound never heard before. This

Friday: Treefort day part at The Olympic venue from 3-3:30 p.m. 1009 Main St. (Above Mulligan’s), Boise

multi-band event will take place outside of the Modern Hotel and Bar. To catch highlights of Marshall Poole at Treefort follow @idahopresstribune on Instagram and look for

Woodland Empire Ale Craft: They will be playing this show under the name “Cornucopia” at 8 p.m. This show is free and open to the public 21 years of age and over. 1114 W. Front St., Boise Saturday: Treefort band dialogue event: The event is free and open to the public at 4:30 p.m. Outside of the Modern Hotel and Bar 1314 W. Grove St. Boise

a photo collage of Treefort coverage in Saturday’s newspaper. Olivia can be reached at 465-8107 or oweitz@ idahopress.com. Follow @ oliviaweitz1.

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If the police agency decides not to test a kit, a county prosecutor must also sign off on the decision. ISP’s lab will be allotted $222,300 to pay for additional staff and needed resources. Every year after the first year the law is implemented, another $207,300 would be needed by ISP’s lab. The legislation was drafted after series of stories last fall in the Idaho Press-Tribune that found the submission of rape kits for testing varied widely among each law enforcement agency, ranging from 10 percent in Nampa up to 80 percent in Meridian. Other agencies estimated it would take days to answer the question of why some kits collected into evidence went untested. The Idaho State Police Forensic Services lab in Meridian is responsible for testing all rape kits for evidence, with the exception of some sent to the FBI lab. This law mandates that every year, on or before Jan. 20, including Jan. 20, 2017, ISP must submit to legislators information on the number of kits purchased and distributed, the number of used kits collected by each law enforcement agency, the number of kits tested by the lab, and the number of kits not submitted to the ISP lab. The report would also include the number of any DNA database hits from the sexual assault cases. Neither the victims’ names nor the suspects’ names would be included in the report.

First

WEATHER HISTORY

WEATHER TRIVIA™

Rape/from A1

New

Montreal 30/27 Toronto 37/32 New York 56/54

Minneapolis 43/26

Billings 53/34

High temperature 58° Low temperature 37° Normal high 59° Normal low 33° Precip., 24 hrs through 6 p.m. yest. 0.00”

Last

Winnipeg 44/28

San Francisco 66/51

Idaho Press-Tribune

Two storms will move into western Idaho today and tomorrow. Both of these storms will be fairly weak and only generate a scattering of showers along with some mountain snow. The good news is that by Saturday, we’ll see mostly sunny skies with highs in the mid 50’s. Another storm will approach Sunday night and Monday, bringing more valley rain and mountain snow.

REGIONAL CITIES

Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.

Small Ads as low as $9!

CALL (208) 465-8176 C M Y K

CACTUS BOWL Boise State took on Baylor University Tuesday at Chase Field in Phoenix. SPORTS, B1

75 cents

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

State audit shows nearly half of rape kits not tested Legislation spurred by PressTribune investigation leads to audit showing 44 percent of rape kits untested

Maintaining momentum at Department of Correction

Henry Atencio will take over as director of IDOC

By RUTH BROWN rbrown@idahopress.com

AP PHOTO

Vials of evidence in a sexual assault case are labeled and sorted in the biology lab at the Houston Forensic Science Center in Houston on April 2, 2015.

By RUTH BROWN rbrown@idahopress.com

Nearly half of Idaho’s alleged sexual assault victims who underwent a forensic exam after reporting their case to authorities never had those results submitted to a lab for testing. That’s according to new information gathered from law enforcement agencies across the state, showing that about 44 percent of rape kits conducted in Idaho never got tested. Findings of an audit published this month by the Idaho State Police Forensic Services shows that as of mid-December, at least 1,116 of the so-called rape kits were still sitting on shelves in police stations big and small across the state, with at least one untested kit dating back to 1990. Overall, the audit accounted for 2,538 rape kits altogether across the state, from departments in towns like Wilder to bigger cities like Nampa and Meridian. The audit was performed to comply with a law passed in the 2016 Legislature and signed by Gov. Butch Otter in March. More KITS | A11

OISE — Amid a two-year flurry of prison reform in Idaho, Henry Atencio faces the challenge of maintaining that momentum within the Idaho Department of Correction. This month, Atencio was named the Department of Correction’s new director, succeeding former director Kevin Kempf, who during his tenure oversaw a whirlwind of reform. Kempf left the department to take a new position as the executive director of the Association of State Correctional Administrators. His two years as director have been marked by dramatic changes in Idaho’s correctional system, from reductions in the use of solitary confinement to changes in prison standards and releasing hundreds of non-violent offenders into parole programs as part of the state’s Justice Reinvestment Act. The reforms began when Idaho dropped its private prison contractor, Corrections Corporation of America, amid a slew of allegations around staffing and poor prison standards that led inmates at the Ida-

CHRIS BRONSON/IPT

Henry Atencio has been promoted to the director of the Idaho Department of Correction after the departure of Kevin Kempf.

ing the system is ho Correctional far from perfect. Center, the state’s Filling Kempf ’s largest prison, to shoes and call it “Gladiator continuing the School.” reforms may Around the seem like a tall same time, in order, but it’s 2014, the state one that Kempf ’s passed the Justice Kempf successor appears Reinvestment Act, well-positioned which sought to to tackle. reduce the nonAtencio has violent offender been with the population and Department of change programCorrection for the ming within the past 26 years and prisons. has been Kempf ’s rightWhen Kempf took the hand man for the past two reins after former IDOC years of transformation. director Brent Reinke resigned, he took the chal- Kempf recommended Atencio to replace him to lenge head-on, promoting the Board of Correction, transparency and humanwhose members took just izing the treatment of intwo days to announce mates while acknowledg-

Atencio’s appointment after Kempf turned in his notice. Atencio, of Nampa, has spent more than two decades with IDOC in roles ranging from probation and parole, to deputy warden and most recently deputy director. “It’s very clear to me that we are on the right path as an agency, and we’re headed in the right direction,” Atencio told the Idaho PressTribune. “My goal as director is to maintain that and build upon that momentum that we have today. We have to finish those projects and keep them in our system. It’s simply the right thing to do.” More ATENCIO | A5

Coalition formed to help military veterans in Canyon County Lighthouse Mission partners with service providers to offer care for veterans

By TERRY LIDRAL For the Press-Tribune

NAMPA — Since it opened on Caldwell Boulevard 16 years ago, the Nampa Lighthouse Rescue Mission has expanded participation and partnerships to help veterans in the community. Now, growth in the program has led to the recent development of a coalition to identify and assist veterans who need services in Canyon County.

“The Lighthouse is a full-service men’s shelter that includes a veterans program and long-term addiction recovery programs,” said Mike Waltermire, manager of the rescue mission’s New Life Program. The Rev. Bill Roscoe, CEO of the Boise Rescue Mission, met with Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney Bryan Taylor to ask

for his support to form a coalition of veterans’ service providers to meet regularly and to share information — services and resources to directly help veterans in crisis, Waltermire said. Besides the Boise Rescue Mission and the county’s prosecuting attorney’s office, major groups involved in the coalition are Boise VA

in need of help Medical Center, are supported by the VA Homeless the Boise Rescue Outreach office, Mission’s women’s Department of shelter. Labor, District “They may 3 Probation and be a vet that is Parole, Veterans struggling with Court, Drug drugs or alcohol, Court and the Waltermire or one who needs Canyon County assistance that Sheriff ’s Office. they can’t find on their Veterans can seek help own,” Waltermire said. through contacting any “During the past year, we of the coalition partners learned of a female Navy and are referred to the vet who moved here from agency that can help with Texas and arrived only to them with their immediate need. Women veterans find the house they were

buying had been heavily vandalized. As a result, they weren’t able to close on the purchase or move in until it was totally renovated. We were able to put her and her family in one of our sober living transition apartments until they could move into their new home.” Another example is that of an elderly veteran who came to the Boise VA from Montana for special treatment, Waltermire said.

More COALITION | A11

MAY THE FORCE

BE WITH HER Carrie Fisher of “Star Wars” fame passes away at 60 after suffering massive heart attack PAGE A2

Deaths Gerri Adkins Sharon Angle

Dean Ashcroft Jacqueline Beveridge

Eldon Garland Shirley Lewis Rosa Mayfield

Francisco Ordorica Elizabeth Owen Michael Pecchenino

Peggy Pritchett Colburn Sims Dennis Souders

Ian Turner Johnny Volatile Obituaries, A5

Weather............................................ A11 Homestyle .......................................... C1 Classifieds ...................................... C5-6 C M Y K

idaho press-tribune

Wednesday, December ,  | A11

SEVEN-DAY FORECAST TODAY

Sunrise

Sunset

8:19a

5:17p

28°

12°

THURSDAY

25°

FRIDAY

9°

SATURDAY

8°

23°

SUNDAY

13°

24°

26°

MONDAY

12°

29°

TUESDAY

9°

20°

5°

Cold with clouds and sun

Cold with periods of clouds and sunshine

Cold with intervals of clouds and sun

Partly sunny and very cold

Mostly cloudy, a bit of snow; cold

Cloudy and chilly

Mostly cloudy and cold

27° RF: 31°/8°

RF: 22°/10°

RF: 22°/6°

RF: 25°/9°

RF: 22°/11°

RF: 23°/3°

RF: 28°/10°

January 21, 2017 FORD IDAHO CENTER Presented by EventRent

ALMANAC

Roland Steadham

High temperature 33° Low temperature 9° Normal high 37° Normal low 21° Precip., 24 hrs through 6 p.m. yest. 0.04” Idaho Press-Tribune

Boise Airport High temperature 34° Low temperature 16° Normal high 36° Normal low 23° Record high 61° in 1928 Record low -7° in 1985 Precip., 24 hrs through 6 p.m. yest. 0.03” Month to date 1.99” Year to date 8.68” Last year to date 10.98” Normal year to date 11.59” Moon Phases

Dec 28

What is a halo?

sky. A ring around the sun or moon A: caused by ice crystals in the

Coalition/ from A1

“His car broke down and left him stranded,” Waltermire said. “We were able to connect him with the VFW in Nampa who got him a bus ticket back to Missoula where he was able to get help getting his car home and repairs done.” One of the coalition members, the Canyon County Veterans Treatment Court, works in conjunction with veterans who have committed nonviolent crimes with existing substance abuse or posttraumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury problems. “A major success story

Kits/from A1 Attention in the statehouse this year followed a 2015 investigation by the Idaho Press-Tribune that showed that the testing of rape kits varied dramatically among different law enforcement agencies. For example, the newspaper reported that the Nampa Police Department had tested just 10 percent of its kits, while the testing rate for the Meridian Police Department was 80 percent. In many police and sheriff departments, decisions whether to test kits were made by just one ranking officer, the newspaper reported. In the wake of the legislative changes, law enforcement agencies are now required to track why a kit was not submitted to a state or federal lab for testing. The law also mandated that each agency submit to an audit, performed by ISP’s Forensic Services staff, on all untested kits. In Idaho, a rape kit is used to gather DNA

Full

Winnipeg 25/18

Jan 5 Jan 12 Jan 19

Brownsville, Texas, had 2 inches of snow on Dec. 28, 1880. As the storm moved eastward, Montgomery, Ala., got 5 inches of snow. Parts of South Carolina had over a foot.

Montreal 25/13 Toronto 31/26

Billings 34/16 Detroit 37/32

Minneapolis 33/26 San Francisco 58/43

New York 42/33

Chicago 42/29

Denver 44/21

Washington 48/36

Kansas City 48/31

Los Angeles 76/52

Atlanta 66/58 El Paso 65/40 Houston 79/64

Chihuahua 75/51

Miami 83/66

Monterrey 79/58 T-storms -10s

Rain -0s

Showers 0s

Snow

10s

20s

Flurries 30s

Ice 40s

Cold Front 50s

60s

Warm Front 70s

NATIONAL SUMMARY

80s

90s

100s

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Albuquerque Anchorage Atlanta Austin Baltimore Billings Bismarck Boston Casper Cheyenne Chicago Cincinnati Dallas Denver Detroit Fargo Great Falls

51 26 66 79 45 34 32 42 30 35 42 47 77 44 37 32 32

48 16 59 63 45 31 26 41 29 39 35 39 58 44 37 28 35

Helena Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Juneau Kansas City Las Vegas Little Rock Los Angeles Louisville Miami Minneapolis New Orleans New York Oklahoma City Omaha Philadelphia

30 80 79 46 38 48 55 56 76 52 83 33 76 42 60 46 44

27 79 66 37 31 44 58 55 76 43 83 31 65 43 51 41 44

pc sn c c s c pc s pc pc pc s c pc pc sf pc

29 13 33 42 31 24 7 33 23 30 25 27 37 29 26 16 30

pc sf r pc r pc s sn s s c pc pc s sf sn c

9 70 64 31 30 31 41 39 52 37 66 26 63 33 33 29 31

sn s c s sn s s r s s pc pc c s pc pc pc

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Challis Coeur d’Alene Grangeville Idaho Falls Jerome Lewiston McCall Mtn. Home AFB Ontario Pocatello Rexburg Salmon Spokane Stanley Twin Falls

23 32 30 25 28 36 21 29 24 30 24 24 31 18 31

19 68 45 25 24 23 43 30 56 29 61 20 42 34 29 21 32

pc c pc pc sf s s pc pc pc pc sf c r pc s r

-1 20 15 6 14 24 5 11 9 8 5 -1 21 -5 12

sn sn sn sn pc pc sn pc c pc sn sn c sn pc

27 34 33 21 29 36 24 28 19 27 22 19 33 28 31

10 27 23 3 14 30 9 13 8 8 4 9 27 7 15

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WORLD CITIES

110s

NATIONAL CITIES

30 4 58 51 30 16 22 29 8 18 29 34 46 21 32 24 18

City

Stationary Front

No major storms or areas of heavy precipitation are forecast across the nation today ahead of a major snowstorm for New England on Thursday. Snow showers will linger over northern New England and the eastern Great Lakes region as chillier air settles over the Northeast. Rain showers will extend from the Florida to Arkansas and coastal Texas as a front stalls and a weak storm forms along the front. Snow showers will push eastward across the Upper Midwest as another weak storm moves across southern Canada. Areas from coastal New England and the mid-Atlantic to the Ohio Valley, Plains and Southwest can expect a dry day and at least partial sunshine. High pressure areas will settle over Pennsylvania and northern Nevada. Snow showers will extend from the central Rockies to the northern Cascades.

Last

WEATHER HISTORY

WEATHER TRIVIA™

Seattle 45/38

High temperature 34° Low temperature 12° Normal high 38° Normal low 21° Precip., 24 hrs through 6 p.m. yest. trace

First

REGIONAL CITIES

Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.

Caldwell Airport

New

1558604

AROUND THE NATION

as of 6 p.m. yesterday

The cold weather will remain in place for some time. However, we will see fewer storms at least for now as high pressure gradually builds into the area through Saturday. By Sunday, a cold, arctic front will bring a chance of snow to the area followed by what could be the coldest air of the season by Tuesday and Wednesday. If that materializes, we’ll say goodbye to snow for a while until the arctic cold snap breaks. Stay tuned. For now, we’ll see highs in the 20s with lows in the teens.

TheIdahoWeddingExperience.com

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Beijing London Madrid Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Sydney Toronto

37 45 58 73 30 46 57 87 31

35 47 55 73 25 43 53 94 36

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Phoenix Portland, OR Rapid City Reno City St. Louis Sacramento San Diego Sioux Falls Salt Lake City San Francisco Seattle Wash., DC Wichita

69 50 46 33 33 16 47 24 Hi Lo 53 34 57 33 71 51 38 25 32 18 58 43 45 38 48 36 56 27

74 56 46 36 29 9 47 24 Hi Lo 44 28 58 35 73 55 32 17 31 20 60 45 46 37 47 34 48 23

12 34 30 47 24 28 36 73 26

s s s s c pc s pc pc

pc c pc pc W pc s s pc c s c s s

12 35 29 49 19 27 32 75 27

s pc pc s c pc s pc sf

pc r s sW s s pc s s s r r s

Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice

that stands out was one of the first graduates from the Canyon County Vet Court,” Waltermire said. “He was sentenced to prison on a felony DUI and was pulled out of the penitentiary and re-sentenced into the treatment court.” One of the requirements of the treatment court is that each participant has to complete a 20-hour community service project. The court requires that the participant report back on how the project went and how it benefited the community. “This participant asked me if he could take some of the old scrapped bikes we had behind the Lighthouse and fix them up to give to vets and their families,” Waltermire said. “On his

100th bike, he restored an old rusted wreck and raffled it off to help the court. He passed away from cancer some time after graduating from the court, but not until he had 600 hours into his 20-hour project and had given out almost 300 bikes.” The Lighthouse’s veterans program is focused on helping struggling vets to overcome their problems and lead positive, productive lives. “One of the first veterans that I got to help while at the Lighthouse was one of the several thousand veterans who receive a less than honorable discharge due to behavioral health issues, often as a result of serviceconnected injuries or

trauma,” Waltermire said. “It took us over five years and three appeals to get his discharge overturned and to get him the benefits he is entitled to as a combat veteran. He is one of the most intelligent people I know, a fantastic musician and still volunteers helping others here at the Lighthouse almost every week.” To be most effective in its support of veterans in need, the Lighthouse depends on funding. One of its major sponsors is the Caldwell Night Rodeo. “Everyone knows they put on one of the best rodeos on the planet,” Waltermire said. “But most people don’t know how much they do for the community. Most of their board

members are veterans, so their support of our military is something they take very seriously. For the past five years, the Lighthouse has been a part of the rodeo’s Patriot Night programs. “They have provided the funds to help dozens of local veterans and their families,” Waltermire said. “When local veterans’ service providers run out of options to get vets the help they need, they call us and ask if the Patriot Fund can help. Those funds have gone for everything from car repairs and utility bills to dental needs and suicide interventions.” Waltermire is proud of the work the Lighthouse is doing with veterans, and he

sees a bright future for its programs. “The Treasure Valley is one of the most successful models for that in the country and it is already being replicated in several places around the state and in Oregon, Nevada and Arizona,” he said. Community members are always welcome and encouraged to participate in the programs for veterans. “As our CEO says, ‘This is the most generous community on Earth,’ and the success of the coalition, as well as that of the (Lighthouse’s) programs, is a direct result of the compassion and generosity of the good folks in the Treasure Valley,” Waltermire said.

evidence from individuals who report and then consent to undergoing a testing process that includes swabbing the body, clothes and other personal items. Other potential evidence, including documents and photographs of injuries can be added to the kit. Any DNA evidence collected during that process can be used to convict or acquit a suspect. In cases when kits are submitted for testing, any DNA evidence can be entered into a national database and then cross referenced with other DNA samples already in the system. Each sample can also checked against an individual if police already have a suspect. Before Idaho lawmakers required the audit, few knew how many rape kits fell into the untested category or why some kits were submitted to labs and other were not. The audit released by ISPFS last week showed that 219 kits are currently in the process of being tested and another 541 are

set to be tested. Of those marked for testing, state officials anticipate that at least 240 will be tested by an FBI lab in the next year. For law enforcement, testing DNA samples, logging that information into the database and matching evidence to alleged assailants can be a critical to helping prosecutors make their case in court. For a little more than two years, state officials have been working on a separate project focused on processing untested kits by sending them to an FBI lab. As of Dec. 21, 30 of the 246 Idaho kits tested by the FBI have produced matches in the national DNA sample database, according to Matthew Gamette, director of ISP forensic lab. The database includes DNA samples from individuals accused of rape, convicted felons or DNA found at other crime scenes. The state lab reported that six of the cases with DNA matches have provided definitive information that has aided investigators in other

cases, Gamette said. In addition, five of the DNA matches cited by the FBI were to an unknown or new suspect, meaning an individual who is already in the database but not yet implicated by police. One hit was connected to evidence found in another rape case and the suspect is unknown, meaning the case could represent a suspect who has committed multiple sexual assaults. Fourteen of those hits are from a previously identified suspect and one of the 30 matches applied to an ongoing Nampa Police Department investigation Overall, the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System includes 12.6 million offender profiles, 2.5 million arrestee profiles and more than 744,600 forensic profiles. As of November, CODIS produced more than 355,535 hits assisting in more than 340,554 investigations.

agencies across the region. For example, police departments in Boise, Twin Falls and Nampa had the highest numbers of untested rape kits in the state. Changes in the state law also require that all rape kits be tested unless a victim specifically declines or if investigators determine that no crime was committed. As a result, agencies are responding: ■ Boise’s audit found 125 untested rape kits, of which 96 still require testing. ■ Nampa’s audit found 95 untested rape kits, of which 81 still require testing. ■ The Twin Falls audit found 115 untested rape kits, with just four still in need of testing. Nampa Police Lt. Eric Skoglund, who took part in the department’s audit, said the high number of kits in need of testing is due to language in the new law clarifying kits that must be tested. Up to this point, Skoglund said police had not been asking for victim input.

Skoglund said the number of cases that were no longer being investigated as a crime are rare, as are false reports. For some cases, there may not have been enough evidence for a prosecutor to file criminal charges, but the now now requires that even those kits be tested. Nampa’s oldest sexual assault kit dates from a 1990s investigation, Skoglund said. The agencies that have hits after FBI rape kit testing included Boise Police, the Ada County Sheriff ’s Office, Idaho Falls Police, Nampa Police and Meridian Police.

AGENCY PROFILES Idaho’s audit showed varied responses among

FUTURE TRACKING ISP’s Forensic Services lab also began training in the use of the Idaho Kit Tracking System, or IKTS. The system will track every rape kit from collection to storage and make available on a secure website detailed information on the status of a rape kit to stakeholders, victims and victim advocates, Gamette said. C M Y K