Last Thursday, state attorney general candidates Paul Bucher, Kathleen Falk and J.B. Van Hollen blamed current state Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager for the death of Department of Justice agent John Balchunas in October 2004. The challengers connect the incumbent with the crime because Wisconsin's DNA labs were backlogged.
One of Balchunas' murderers was linked to the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl three months prior. Criticism arose because the DNA from the sexual assault matched that of a crime committed in 2003. Lautenschlager's opponents claim the crime lab's delay in processing this information may have lead to Balchunas' murder.
The backlog of the state's crime lab is a major concern. However, current state money cannot allow for the expansions necessary to bring the crime lab up to speed.
Wisconsin is not the only state with crime lab backups. The Bureau of Justice reports that as of 2002, 81 percent of DNA labs nationwide are experiencing some sort of backup.
The problem is not one of leadership incompetence, but a national concern which the attorney general candidates must resolve on a state level, with well-constructed plans.
Lautenschlager said she is drafting a budget for 2007-'09 that would allot for 10 extra crime lab employees. Similarly, Van Hollen has proposed that he can find money within the Department of Justice budget to increase the number of employees.
Falk said she would reprioritize to make the crime lab more important, but did not specify how this would be accomplished.
Bucher fronted the attack on Lautenschlager, and plans to release a radio advertisement on Monday, Sept. 11, in which the parents of the rape victim attack Lautenschlager for her failure to act in their daughter's case. Both Bucher and the parents ask for an apology in the ad.
For someone so quick to point blame, Bucher's proposal to fix the crime lab's woes lacks resilience. He proposes that the state impose larger fees on convicted criminals to pay for more state crime lab workers. However, he said he acknowledges most defendants would refuse to pay.
Instead of politicizing the rape of a 15-year-old girl and the murder of a DOJ agent, the candidates should focus on solidifying their plans. Though Lautenschlager allegedly caused the crime lab backup, it seems she is the only attorney general candidate with a viable plan to amend the problem.
