Dane County's former sheriff started his new job Monday — working on the state's Crime Lab System backlog for Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen.

As administrator for the Division of Law Enforcement Services, Gary Hamblin said he would oversee the Crime Lab System, the Training and Standards Bureau and the Crime Information Bureau.

"One of the most pressing needs is the backlog," Hamblin said. "The backlog is something that simply can't be allowed to exist."

Earlier this year, Van Hollen estimated the backlog — mostly comprised of cases awaiting DNA testing — could take 20 months to address and on Monday, Hamblin called that timeline an "optimistic" outlook.

Hamblin said the crime labs need more trained staff to complete DNA testing, which is beyond the Department of Justice's current budget.

The agency may need to wait until July — when the governor's biennial budget is typically approved by the Legislature — to begin recruiting new staff. Hamblin said the hiring could take months and it could take an additional year after additional staff are hired for job training to occur.

"It's not at all unlikely for 18 to 20 months," Hamblin said. "The main challenge is coming to some agreement on the level of staffing."

The attorney general's office is conducting a study of the backlog, Hamblin said, and is near completion.

Specifically, the office is examining staff, case flow and other factors that contribute to the backlog.

Hamblin said the DOJ would not release the study until he has reviewed it to suggest possible areas of improvement.

According to Hamblin, transitioning the state crime labs to new DNA technology contributed to the large number of open cases. The DOJ did not have the staff to support the transition, he said.

"It's a new technology," Hamblin added. "I don't think it's any different from when businesses and governments started using computers."

Gov. Jim Doyle, a former Wisconsin attorney general, responded to the DOJ's call for additional funding during his re-election campaign last year.

"He understands the need for appropriate resources," Doyle spokesperson Carla Vigue said. "It's important to eliminate the backlog. … It will be addressed [in his budget]."