A $1.25 million state grant on the Dallas City Council's agenda for Wednesday, Oct. 28, would pay for the forensic testing of 534 sexual assault kits over the coming year, according to the Police Department's agenda information sheet.
The grant comes from the Criminal Justice Division of the Texas Office of the Governor through its Sexual Assault Evidence Testing Program. It covers lab analysis of physical evidence from the kits for the period from Sept. 1, 2026, through Aug. 31, 2027.
It is one of three police-related items on the consent agenda, which the council approves in a single vote unless a member pulls an item for separate discussion. The meeting starts at 9 a.m. at City Hall.
What the kit money is for
The department says the goal is to keep it in compliance with state law while getting the kits tested on time. The sheet cites two state laws, Senate Bill 1636 and House Bill 8.
Police plan to track how many kits are tested and what the testing turns up, including suspect DNA profiles that can be entered into CODIS, the national DNA database. The department says CODIS matches can point to unknown attackers or tie a case to other crimes, giving detectives leads they might not otherwise have.
The council took similar grants from the same program in December 2021 and December 2023. The Public Safety Committee was briefed by memo on Oct. 13.
A new three-year deal with the county crime lab
A separate consent item would set up a three-year interlocal agreement with Dallas County for lab work by the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences, the county's forensic center. The agreement is capped at $12.3 million, paid from the general fund at $4.1 million a year, subject to annual budget approval.
