MADISON, Wis. -- The new attorney general said the backlog at the state Crime Lab is much worse than previously thought, and that he will be calling on the governor and state lawmakers to move quickly to hire more lab analysts.

Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said an internal audit has shed new light on the DNA backlog problem.

Currently, Wisconsin's 29 DNA analysts stand no chance of keeping up with the demand for their talents, WISC-TV reported. Van Hollen said that the backlog gets worse every month as police submit more DNA to be analyzed.

"Roughly for every two cases that we bring in right now from law enforcement anywhere in the state we've got enough personnel to handle one of them and one of them gets added to the backlog," Van Hollen said.

There is a backlog of some 2,000 cases, and the attorney general said, at this pace, that number will grow another 1,000 a year.

"It's an urgent problem because the backlog is increasing and compounding very rapidly right now," Van Hollen said. "Just in Dane county, for instance, in 2006 there were 169 submissions to the crime lab of which 69 percent were for violent crimes against individuals, very significant crimes. Ninety-three cases from Dane county still remain unworked."

Van Hollen said his predecessor indicated that 15 new analysts would be needed to take care of the backlog, but he said his own internal audit shows that perhaps twice that number might be necessary.

"Unfortunately, I have learned the problem was grossly underestimated," Van Hollen said.

Addressing the problem will likely cost several million dollars, WISC-TV reported

"But how expensive is that compared to the life we may save or the rape we may prevent or the property crimes we may solve?" Van Hollen said.

The attorney general said that even if hires were made immediately, it would still take months to properly train new analysts.

"So right now, best-case scenario, we don't get new people on line for probably a year and a half and in that time the submissions continue to grow and the backlog continues to grow," he said. "We're going to have to get to the state Legislature and governor and say, 'We need to address this problem and we need to address it now.'"

There is surplus room in the state building that houses the Madison Crime Lab, so taxpayers would not have to foot the bill for additional lab space if new hires are made, WISC-TV reported.