Attorney General Kaul Defends His Handling of Crime, Drug Investigators
Republican challenger Eric Toney seizes on comments by Red Cliff tribal chairwoman.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, right speaks while standing next to Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, at the Risser Justice Center in Madison, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Candidates in the race for Wisconsin Attorney General sparred on a myriad of topics during a debate Sunday, including whether adequate resources are being devoted to addressing crime.
Incumbent Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul is defending his record as he seeks a third term. He is facing Republican challenger and Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney.
The two sounded off on crime, the state’s crime lab and the Trump administration’s lawsuit seeking the state’s voter data on WISN 12’s “UpFront” debate, which partnered with WisPolitics.
As the two debated over their records on crime and red flag laws, Toney highlighted comments made earlier this year by Red Cliff Tribal Chairwoman Nicole Boyd.
“We have seen earlier this year at the State of the Tribes (address) — Nicole Boyd delivered that in Madison and said the attorney general eliminated drug investigators in Wisconsin, that was causing unnecessary death,” Toney said.
Boyd delivered the annual State of the Tribes address in February. However, she didn’t accuse the attorney general of eliminating drug investigators in Wisconsin. Instead, she alleged the number of narcotics agents investigating crimes out of the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Eau Claire field office had dwindled from four agents in 2013 to zero last year.
“As a result, we know this has caused incredible delays in investigations, resulting in many unnecessary deaths,” Boyd said during the address.
WPR reached out to the Red Cliff tribe and Boyd, who did not immediately return a request for comment.
When asked to respond to those claims, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul told WPR that the DOJ’s Division of Criminal Investigation has worked to hold drug traffickers accountable by investigating crimes statewide, including in northern Wisconsin.
As evidence of progress, Kaul pointed to an over 40 percent reduction in opioid overdose deaths in Wisconsin between 2023 to 2024.
“There have been cases where an agent who resides and works out of an office, say in northern Wisconsin, may retire, and may be replaced by an agent who lives somewhere else or works out of a different office,” Kaul told WPR. “That’s changed over time, but what has not changed is that our Division of Criminal Investigation investigates cases statewide and responds statewide.”
A DOJ spokesperson said investigators in Eau Claire, Wausau and Appleton field offices serve the northern part of the state, adding other agents are called to assist when needed.
A summary of provisions within the 2025-2027 budget shows DOJ has roughly 750 full-time equivalent positions, which is a loss of about 10 positions since 2024-25.
The DOJ was authorized to have a total of 100 full-time equivalent special agent in charge and special agent positions assigned to its offices statewide as of July 1, including 9 agents at its Eau Claire field office. That’s according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
Field offices in Wausau, Milwaukee and Appleton each had seven agents while the Madison field office had 12. Another 58 agents were located within other units of the Division of Criminal Investigation.
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau said it was unable to immediately provide specifics on the specialization of those agents or the history of allocated positions.
AG debate highlights criticism from tribal leader on number of drug investigators was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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