Attorney General Josh Kaul touted violent crime hitting a 15-year low in Wisconsin while his GOP challenger Eric Toney accused him of “cherry picking” data with homicides up since the Dem took office.

During a Madison news conference, Kaul cited FBI statistics that show violent crime in Wisconsin is down 20% from 2023 and at its lowest level since 2011. The decrease is in line with a broader decrease in violent crime across the country.

“I’m proud to be the attorney general to be at the heart of a lot of these efforts around the state,” Kaul said. “A lot of things are coming together to help make our communities stronger and make our communities safer,” Kaul said.

Kaul also called out Toney, who serves as Fond du Lac County district attorney, for an increase in violent crime in his county. He cited FBI stats showing that since 2022 violent crime is up 18% in the county where Toney serves as district attorney.

Toney countered by pointing to FBI figures that show homicides have increased under Kaul. In 2018, the year before Kaul took office, there were 175 homicides, according to the figures Toney cited. Homicides rose by more than one-third to 235 last year. 

Toney slammed Kaul for a hiring freeze at DOJ and what he said were continued failures at the state crime lab.

“All Wisconsinites need to do is turn on their TVs and see the rampant chaos and violence at places like the State Fair to see the truth: law and order needs to be restored in Wisconsin and law enforcement doesn’t trust Kaul to do it,” Toney said in a statement.

Kaul called for a “holistic approach” to crime reduction and highlighted past initiatives including establishing the School Safety hotline, securing opioid settlement money, eliminating the state’s sexual assault kit backlog and advocating for an increase in shared revenue.

Kaul, seeking his third term, is facing a rematch against Toney after defeating him by less than 2 percentage points in 2024.