State Lab Shrinks Huge Blood Test Backlog

The Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene is digging its way out of a serious backlog of blood tests used to convict drivers accused of driving under the influence.

At its worst point, the backup at the lab meant district attorneys had to wait more than a year for results from blood tests looking for traces of drugs or alcohol. That caused cases to be delayed and even forced some counties to pay for samples to be processed in Minnesota.

Officials at the lab say they’re turning the corner, however. Laura Liddicoat is a chemist supervisor for the state’s Lab of Hygiene. She says a state grant enabled them to send 600 blood tests to a lab in Pennsylvania. The recently passed state budget included two new positions at the lab, which will also help reduce the backlog.

The biggest difference, according to Liddicoat, is a recent policy change that lets the lab test for only one banned substance per case. “We’ve been able to delete thousands of tests from our log because they weren’t necessary,” she says, “due to the presence of a restricted or controlled substance.”

But the change has drawn mixed reactions from district attorneys. Eau Claire D.A. Gary King says he’s glad blood tests are being processed faster, but having more information helps ensure convictions in cases in which a driver is suspected of operating while intoxicated. “If someone has in their blood any number of substances that could contribute to [impairing a] driver, it certainly is easier to prosecute a case than having just a single substance.”

The Lab of Hygiene says with the grant, extra positions and new policy they’re able to process marijuana blood samples within a few months and most drug samples in less than a year.