Attorney General Kaul Releases 2023 Annual Crime Lab Report

MADISON, Wis. (WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PRESS RELEASE) – Attorney General Josh Kaul today released the 2023 Annual Report for the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Forensic Sciences (DFS) crime laboratories.
“The work of our state crime labs is essential to protecting public safety and ensuring that criminal investigations and prosecutions lead to justice,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “The upcoming state budget must make the investment needed to adequately staff the labs.”
2023 annual report:
Progress was made in enhancing the infrastructure and technology for the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratories. The implementation of a new Laboratory Information Management System will significantly improve the way cases are tracked and improve processes, with the first phase of the system to be fully implemented in 2025. In addition, the groundbreaking for the new Southeast Regional Crime Laboratory took place in 2023, with occupancy scheduled for 2026.
In 2023, DFS continued to track significant drug trends, including an increase in cases involving fentanyl or a fentanyl analogue, with 765 of these cases. Xylazine was identified in 64 cases. And of the cases sent to the Controlled Substances Unit, more than one in four involved mixtures.
A Legislative Audit Bureau report regarding the timeliness of WSCL analyses did not include any recommendations that would meaningfully reduce turnaround times, providing further evidence of the need for the state legislature to invest in and authorize more staff for the crime labs.
PRESS RELEASE: Attorney General Kaul Releases 2023 Annual Crime Lab Report | Wisconsin Department of Justice
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