Politicians and Elected Officials Who Get Things Done
In a climate marked by endless talk and far too little action, these 12 politicians give us reason for hope.
O, The Oprah Magazine | From the November 2012 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
Photo: Monica Morgan
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The Challenge: In 2009 DNA evidence collected from thousands of sexual assaults turned up in an abandoned Detroit police warehouse. "It was an atrocity," Worthy says. How She Tackled It: After the discovery of the samples, known as rape kits, the prosecutor's office, local police, and victims' rights groups launched the 400 Project, a statistical analysis of hundreds of randomly selected kits. Worthy's office has since identified 21 suspected serial rapists. Next Steps: In 2011 Worthy won a $1 million grant from the National Institute of Justice to continue testing the remaining 10,749 kits; she's also creating a database to link each to its original police report. Says Worthy, "We are determined to change how law enforcement responds to sexual assaults." —Diane Herbst |
