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) Forensic Sciences Division (DFS) Crime Labs.

“The work of our state crime labs is critical to protecting public safety and ensuring that criminal investigations and prosecutions lead to justice,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “The coming state budget must make the necessary investments to provide the laboratories with sufficient staff.”

Annual report 2023:

• Progress has been made in improving the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratories' infrastructure and technology. Implementing a new laboratory information management system will significantly improve the way cases are tracked and processes. The first phase of the system is expected to be fully implemented in 2025. Additionally, 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 (765 of these cases). Xylazine was identified in 64 cases. And of the cases referred to the Controlled Substances Unit, more than one in four cases involved mixtures.
• A Legislative Audit Bureau report on the timeliness of WSCL analysis did not contain recommendations that would significantly reduce turnaround times, providing further evidence that the state Legislature needs to invest in crime labs and authorize more staff.

PRESS RELEASE: Attorney General Kaul Publishes Crime Lab Annual Report 2023 | Wisconsin Department of Justice

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