As evidence in unsolved criminal cases piles up at the state crime lab, officials said in a Thursday report they want to increase the lab's efficiency with more resources. However, some warn more staff means more money and may entail a financial burden.
""Everyone seems to agree that we need more resources, but the question is, where are we going to apply those resources?"" said Bryon Lichstein, a representative for the Wisconsin Criminal Justice Study Commission.
Wisconsin crime labs have projected that this year's submissions for DNA testing will total 2,493, well above the 1,200 cases that the labs are currently able to process, according to the report from the WCJS commission.
The commission proposed three main solutions, including outsourcing some of the work to other testing companies, increasing the number of personnel at the crime labs and continuing with advanced technology implementation.
The Department of Justice is generally supportive of the commission's proposals, yet financial considerations are restricting a full embrace.
Keith Findley, a member of the commission and UW law professor, said, ""[Out-sourcing] costs more money right now, and they're not sure that the Legislature would actually approve that.""
According to Lichstein, the commission concludes that a combination of outsourcing and new positions would be the ideal solution, allowing the backlog to be eliminated faster.
""Basically it's going to take until at least 2010 to clear the backlog if you don't do outsourcing,"" Lichstein said. ""We think that the public safety risks of delay are just too great.""
However, Lichstein also added, ""Outsourcing is not a good long-term method because it's too expensive.""
Both state Rep. Mark Gundrum, R-New Berlin, chair of the Judiciary & Ethics Committee, and state Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, chair of the Criminal Justice Committee, have said they support the Wisconsin Department of Justice's call for 31 new crime lab positions.
""Right now, there are criminals who are not in jail and out there able to commit more violent crimes because we are not able to sufficiently process DNA,"" Kleefisch said.
""It's not fair to the families and victims of violent crimes to have to wait so long for answers in their cases,"" he said.
By disregarding financial concerns and taking action, the backlog can be reduced and criminals apprehended, according to Lichstein.
""DNA testing is an immensely powerful tool ... so when you have delays in DNA testing, you are getting in the way of the system's fundamental mission to convict criminals,"" he said.
