MONROE - After more than 25 years as Green County's district attorney, Gary Luhman will step down from his position at the end of this month.
But Luhman will not be retiring; instead, on Oct. 3, Luhman will begin working in Madison as an assistant attorney general for the Wisconsin Department of Justice under a Sexual Assault Kit Initiative federal grant.
Luhman called the job "the perfect position" for him.
"Myself and (assistant district attorney) Jeffrey Kohl, we have a long history of trying sexual assault cases," Luhman said. "We've addressed a number of novel and cutting-edge issues."
The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative is a statewide program to address the state's backlog of unsubmitted sexual assault kits.
Luhman said victims of sexual assaults are able to request a DNA test, referred to as a sexual assault kit, without being obligated to follow up and press charges. However, if a victim declines to follow up, the kits languish in police custody untested.
"There are plenty of legitimate reasons to not submit the kits," Luhman said. "But now we have this backlog of cases that this grant is addressing."
Luhman said his job will entail a combination of prosecution and investigation, along with training law enforcement on how to work with sexual assault victims.
"We're learning to consider how trauma impacts victims' behavior after a traumatic incident," Luhman said. "We have to put aside our preconceptions of how victims 'should' behave and look at how they actually do behave.
"We're asking 'how do we better support and assist victims in coming forward?'"
The position was first listed in early March, but Luhman said he was unable to apply because his successor was not yet determined. When only one candidate appeared on the county's partisan primary ballot - Monroe attorney Craig Nolen - Luhman felt free to apply.
Luhman said he would file a motion in his final week as district attorney to appoint Nolen as a paid special prosecutor during the interim between Luhman's departure and Nolen's presumptive inauguration in January. In the meantime, Luhman said Nolen is currently preparing for the role by familiarizing himself with upcoming cases.
"I've worked with Craig since he was an intern here," Luhman said. "He's done a lot with Monroe."
Luhman said farewell to county supervisors at their board meeting Sept. 13.
"My 25 years as district attorney were a remarkable experience," Luhman said in an emotional speech. He added that he would not wish to leave his job if his new job was not as important as it is.
For his part, Luhman said he may return to Monroe occasionally in October to finish work on a handful of ongoing cases but added that he did not know of any sexual assault kit cases within Green County.
However, Luhman said his suitability for his new job was partly thanks to his long career in Green County.
"One of the reasons I felt the job suited me is that Green County has a great record of dealing with crimes of violence, sexual and otherwise," Luhman said, explaining that the county received a grant in the early 1990s to open a position to deal with violent crimes. This position expanded over the years into several programs combating domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault and more.
"We've done well for a county this size," Luhman said.
But Luhman will not be retiring; instead, on Oct. 3, Luhman will begin working in Madison as an assistant attorney general for the Wisconsin Department of Justice under a Sexual Assault Kit Initiative federal grant.
Luhman called the job "the perfect position" for him.
"Myself and (assistant district attorney) Jeffrey Kohl, we have a long history of trying sexual assault cases," Luhman said. "We've addressed a number of novel and cutting-edge issues."
The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative is a statewide program to address the state's backlog of unsubmitted sexual assault kits.
Luhman said victims of sexual assaults are able to request a DNA test, referred to as a sexual assault kit, without being obligated to follow up and press charges. However, if a victim declines to follow up, the kits languish in police custody untested.
"There are plenty of legitimate reasons to not submit the kits," Luhman said. "But now we have this backlog of cases that this grant is addressing."
Luhman said his job will entail a combination of prosecution and investigation, along with training law enforcement on how to work with sexual assault victims.
"We're learning to consider how trauma impacts victims' behavior after a traumatic incident," Luhman said. "We have to put aside our preconceptions of how victims 'should' behave and look at how they actually do behave.
"We're asking 'how do we better support and assist victims in coming forward?'"
The position was first listed in early March, but Luhman said he was unable to apply because his successor was not yet determined. When only one candidate appeared on the county's partisan primary ballot - Monroe attorney Craig Nolen - Luhman felt free to apply.
Luhman said he would file a motion in his final week as district attorney to appoint Nolen as a paid special prosecutor during the interim between Luhman's departure and Nolen's presumptive inauguration in January. In the meantime, Luhman said Nolen is currently preparing for the role by familiarizing himself with upcoming cases.
"I've worked with Craig since he was an intern here," Luhman said. "He's done a lot with Monroe."
Luhman said farewell to county supervisors at their board meeting Sept. 13.
"My 25 years as district attorney were a remarkable experience," Luhman said in an emotional speech. He added that he would not wish to leave his job if his new job was not as important as it is.
For his part, Luhman said he may return to Monroe occasionally in October to finish work on a handful of ongoing cases but added that he did not know of any sexual assault kit cases within Green County.
However, Luhman said his suitability for his new job was partly thanks to his long career in Green County.
"One of the reasons I felt the job suited me is that Green County has a great record of dealing with crimes of violence, sexual and otherwise," Luhman said, explaining that the county received a grant in the early 1990s to open a position to deal with violent crimes. This position expanded over the years into several programs combating domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault and more.
"We've done well for a county this size," Luhman said.