LANSING, MI -- 1,819 untested rape kits from October 2014 or earlier were identified through a survey of Michigan counties, the Michigan Attorney General's Office reports.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced the discovery of the untested kits after surveying 82 Michigan counties.

The survey did not include Wayne County because of efforts already under way there.

Testing, potential investigation and prosecution of the 1,819 untested kits is moving forward, Schuette and Michigan State Police Director Col. Kriste Kibbey Etue announced Thursday, Jan. 28.

"Today, we take another step forward in getting rapists off the streets and ensuring justice for sexual-assault victims," Schuette said in a prepared statement.

Here's a look at the highest totals on the list:

Flint Police Dept. - 261

Battle Creek Police Dept. - 239

Grand Rapids Police - 199

Kalamazoo Dept. of Public Safety - 113

Jackson Police Dept. - 63

Kent Sheriff's Office - 62

Bay City Dept. of Public Safety - 41

Lansing Police Dept. (Ingham) - 40

Western Michigan University Police Dept. - 40

Search rape kits in your county or by agency

"I thank our prosecutors and law-enforcement agencies for working with us to test previously untested sexual assault kits. Experience shows that testing every kit helps law enforcement solve crimes and stop serial rapists," he said.

Schuette and Etue will work together to process the backlogged kits, using a combination of $1.7 million appropriated by the legislature and grants awarded to the Michigan State Police to ensure justice for victims of sexual assault.

Tackling untested sexual assault kits involves three basic phases: testing, investigation of the incident, and prosecution when possible.

"The Michigan State Police is committed to providing forensic analysis and analytical case support to ensure the best possible evidence is available to solve these crimes and bring justice to the survivors," Etue said.

Survey for untested kits

Schuette's office began to survey the 82 counties outside of Detroit and Wayne County in September 2015 to determine the number of untested kits.

Schuette said he initiated the survey to complement efforts in Wayne County, Michigan's largest county, following the discovery of thousands of untested rape kits found in an abandoned Detroit crime laboratory there.

Related: Bill Schuette rooting out Michigan's untested rape kits

The September survey called on county law enforcement officials to provide a count of certain previously untested kits in their possession so that state authorities could determine the most effective way to help local authorities process these cases, including testing that could help with unsolved crimes in other jurisdictions, Schuette said.

The survey requested cases of victims assaulted before Oct. 1, 2014, and were not previously tested for various reasons, such as a suspect confessed, pleaded guilty, or was already incarcerated, the AG's office said.

Rape kits in Michigan

Currently, Schuette, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, the Michigan State Police and the Detroit Police Department are investigating and prosecuting cases arising from the testing of sexual assault kits found in Wayne County in 2009.

The Michigan State Police completed testing of the backlogged Detroit sexual assault kits in September of 2015.

In Flint, nearly 250 sexual assault kits, some dating back as early as 2003, were discovered unprocessed in Flint police's evidence room, Flint police Chief James Tolbert said in April 2015.

Michigan State Police, Flint police, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton and the YWCA are partnering to process the rape kits, prosecute offenders and help victims through the process, officials have said.

Michigan victims of sexual violence are encouraged to call the national sexual assault hotline toll-free, 1-800-656-HOPE.

All calls are confidential, and will be answered by a local counseling center affiliated with the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). Assistance is also available online at www.rainn.org.