Officials have estimated that hundreds of thousands of sexual assault kits in police and laboratory storage facilities across the country remain untested.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is trying to identify if Kansas has a backlog of untested kits, which include swabs and specimens gathered during exams of sexual assault victims.

In order to do so, the KBI recently sent surveys to all Kansas law enforcement agencies.

"We want to encourage our local partners to submit that evidence," said Kirk Thompson, director of the KBI.

Even if a victim recants their story or the case isn’t moving forward through the judicial system, the KBI still can enter the genetic evidence into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS. That information could lead to a connection with other cases.

The KBI has labs that test DNA in Topeka, Kansas City and Great Bend, said special agent Mark Malick.

There are currently 66 sexual assault kits awaiting testing at the KBI labs, Thompson said.

"We recognize all of those 66 are victims," he said. "Each victim is important."

The Joyful Heart Foundation, a national nonprofit organization founded by actress Mariska Hargitay, has launched ENDTHEBACKLOG, a program to bring attention to the backlog of rape kits.

There are a number of reasons for backlogs, according to www.endthebacklog.com. Those include a higher demand for DNA testing; a lack of resources and staffing at law enforcement agencies; whether a department prioritizes sexual assaults; and whether the case is likely to move forward.

Some say the cost of testing a kit, which can cost between $500 and $1,000, has played a role, too, according to Liz Swavola, manager of policy and advocacy for the Joyful Heart Foundation. However, there has been millions in federal funding for testing, according to a recent Associated Press article.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. recently pledged $35 million to help eliminate the backlog.

"Rape victims nationwide deserve to know that the invasive examination they underwent had a purpose, and the resulting kit was not left to gather dust on a forgotten shelf," Vance said in the AP article.

President Barack Obama also said $41 million should be devoted to testing rape kits. Congress is weighing in, the AP said.

Each law enforcement agency in Kansas is being asked to take the KBI survey, which has questions relating to untested kits.

"Our goal out of this is to determine the scope of the situation," Thompson said.

While the KBI doesn’t think Kansas has a problem with a backlog, Thompson said the KBI wants to be sure.

"If so, we are going to come up with a plan on how to handle it," he said.

If there is a backlog, it will impact the KBI’s operations, but the bureau is dedicated to making sure the testing is complete and the information is entered into CODIS, Thompson said.

"I have absolute faith in our partners across the state," he said.

If there is a backlog problem, the KBI will form a group to help determine proper training and protocols, the director said.

The KBI hopes to begin studying the results of the survey at the beginning of the year.

Topeka police Lt. Dean McWilliams said the Topeka Police Department doesn’t have a backlog of untested sexual assault kits. The department sends its kits to the KBI for testing, he said.

Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse also said his office doesn’t have a backlog.

The KBI provides sexual assault kits to hospitals across the state, according to Thompson. There is no cost to the hospitals because a grant covers the $10 charge for each kit.

Once the KBI receives a sexual assault kit, it takes about two to three hours to test the kit, said Lisa Burdett, DNA technical leader for the KBI. Then, it takes another three to five days to process and analyze the DNA.

"All the results have to be peer reviewed, too," said Barbara Crim-Swanson, KBI biology supervisor.

Swavola said it is difficult to determine the number of untested kits throughout the United States because many states don’t have laws in place. Illinois in 2010 passed a law that requires law enforcement agencies to count the number of untested kits and to submit those kits for testing. Texas followed in 2011, and Colorado followed in 2013.

The KBI’s decision to send out a survey is a "really good first step," Swavola said.

"But you have to realize there is a lot more work to be done," she said.