Kaul and Toney clash on Wisconsin crime lab funding

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 01:19 · Archive

Wisconsin's attorney general candidates disagree over crime lab resources ahead of the November election.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul is seeking re-election on 3 November against Republican challenger Eric Toney, the Fond du Lac County district attorney. How the state's crime labs should be run and funded is a central point of disagreement between them.

Kaul says the biggest problem facing the labs is a lack of resources, particularly for DNA analysis. He told reporters he had requested 16 new positions two budgets ago and received three, none for DNA work. In the last budget, he requested 19 positions and received none. Toney has made improving crime lab efficiency his top priority. He has pointed to delays that he says deny justice to victims, congest court calendars and leave some defendants on the streets committing new crimes.

Kaul said additional resources would speed up testing across the board and called on the legislature to step up funding. Between 2019 and 2023, the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau found lawmakers authorised seven new crime lab positions, the assignments dropped 13 per cent, but turnaround time increased by nearly 50 per cent. Kaul disputed the audit's relevance, saying it was merely a snapshot in time and that comparing different categories together was not analytically appropriate.

How it is being reported

• Kaul, Toney spar over Wisconsin crime lab delays ahead of November electionHow the state's crime labs are run and funded is a key point of disagreement between the candidates for Wisconsin attorney general. Wisconsin State Capitol Bureau Chief Vanessa Kjeldsen interviewed both candidates about the labs.WSAW · 9 Oct, 01:09
• Kaul, Toney spar over Wisconsin crime lab delays ahead of November electionHow the state's crime labs are run and funded is a key point of disagreement between the candidates for Wisconsin attorney general. Wisconsin State Capitol Bureau Chief Vanessa Kjeldsen interviewed both candidates about the labs.WBAY · 9 Oct, 00:47

In this story: Josh Kaul · Eric Toney · Wisconsin · Fond du Lac County · Legislative Audit Bureau

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