Keller is expected to detail his plans for the order at a press conference Wednesday.

Keller took office as mayor of Albuquerque last month.

A year earlier, he released a report as state auditor aimed at identifying the root causes of a statewide backlog of 5,000 untested evidence kits from sexual assaults.

Based on that figure, New Mexico led the nation in untested kits per capita. And three-quarters of the untested kits were in an Albuquerque crime lab.

The study, based on a survey of law enforcement, found attitudes toward victims, along with a lack of training and equipment contributed to the backlog.