Fond du Lac gets more staff than crime labs
The district attorney's office added four prosecutor roles in the current budget cycle, while the state lab received zero new positions despite an Attorney General request.
By Chloe Wilson ·
The Fond du Lac County District Attorney's office secured more new state-funded staff positions between 2022 and 2026 than the Wisconsin state crime labs did.
Attorney General Josh Kaul made this comparison during a debate with Republican challenger Eric Toney on October 11. The two candidates discussed backlogs in the state laboratory system. Toney, who currently serves as the district attorney for Fond du Lac County, faces Kaul in the upcoming election.
Budget documents show the disparity in funding over two legislative cycles. In the 2023-2025 budget, Fond du Lac County received no new assistant district attorney positions. Kaul requested 16 new positions for the crime labs, including 10 DNA analysts. The Legislature, then controlled by Republicans, funded only three positions. None of those three were for DNA analysts.
The gap widened in the current budget cycle. In the 2025-2027 budget, Toney's office received four new prosecutor positions. His office was one of several district attorney offices to receive additional staff during this period.
During the same 2025-2027 budget process, Kaul requested 19 positions for the state crime labs. The state legislature funded none of those requested roles.
Source: Wisconsin Watch
