AG Brad Schimel: Submissions slowing private labs' sex assault kit tests

MADISON — Attorney General Brad Schimel says a glut of submissions nationwide is slowing progress on analyzing thousands of untested sexual assault kits on Wisconsin police department shelves.

The Joyful Heart Foundation has been pushing states to analyze untested kits in hopes of developing DNA profiles for serial offenders.

According to the Department of Justice's website, 4,030 Wisconsin kits have been designated for testing in Wisconsin. As of Friday, 594 had been tested, with 58 tested at the state crime lab and 536 tested at a private lab.

Schimel told The Associated Press that individual cities across the country are each submitting thousands of kits to a limited number of labs that can't keep up.

He says testing of all the Wisconsin kits should still be completed by the end of 2018.