.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... A decades-long backlog of untested rape kits in the Albuquerque area is no more. Finally, a bit of justice for some – and a system in place to ensure this never happens again. And that’s important because many of the cases involving the kits that languished for years will never see justice (the statute of limitations has expired, victims died or decided to not proceed with charges, no suspect was identified, etc.) The backlog came to light around four years ago, when Mayor Tim Keller was state auditor. After learning of the backlog, his team dug in and issued a report on the 5,400 or so untested rape kits across the state – 75% from Albuquerque. Then-Mayor Richard Berry got two grants to start testing the kits and now, under Keller, the backlog is gone.