Oklahoma SAFE Task Force Meets As Newly Formed Board

Oklahoma's Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Task Force now has a more permanent home under the Attorney General's office as a board, thanks to legislation passed during the 2024 session. On Thursday, the group met for the first time as a board.

Gov. Mary Fallin started the group in 2017 to address a backlog in the number of sexual assault test kits waiting to be analyzed in crime labs. Survivor Danielle Tudor has been involved with the effort since its inception.

"We are getting very close to being done with our backlog, and then we'll be just on current cases," Tudor said. "So the last few years, we've been able to kind of get a feeling, you know, what is the normal caseload going to be?"

When the group began, more than 7,000 cases were in the backlog. The number is now down to less than half.

"As a victim that is on this board, and as a survivor, I really hone in my focus into those areas as how can we make this more victim-friendly?" Tudor said. "Because we want survivors to participate in the criminal justice process."

Tudor credits recently termed-out Democratic Sen. Kay Floyd for driving the group for many years. Floyd sponsored the legislation that created the board, along with Republican officials Sen. David Bullard and Rep. Kevin Wallace.

"I’m gratified the first official meeting of the Oklahoma Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Board has been held," Wallace said. "I trust that under this permanent structure, they will work quickly to process the remaining backlog of rape kits and to ensure a better strategy going forward. Rape victims deserve to have their cases treated seriously and with care, and they deserve the timely processing of their rape kits so they can see justice served against their attackers."