MADISON – According to figures released about four weeks after USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin requested them under open records laws, a backlog of months-old DNA evidence has grown to nearly 800 cases. Attorney General Brad Schimel, who oversees the state crime labs, released new figures Friday.
Schimel, a Republican, is campaigning for re-election and has faced criticism from his opponent, Democrat Josh Kaul, over crime lab delays. When he entered office in 2015, DNA evidence rarely took more than two months to test, reported the network’s Keegan Kyle. Now, about half of all DNA tests take at least two months.
