ST. PAUL — The state has been given a $2 million federal grant to begin testing a backlog of sexual assault kits that have been sitting on shelves for years.

WCCO-TV reports there are more than 3,000 untested kits. Each one represents a victim that has endured a sexual assault exam.

The grant from the Office of Justice Programs will initially be used in Anoka County where the sheriff’s office has the largest number of untested kits.