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Shelby County leaders push for area-specific crime lab with new bill

The closest crime lab to Memphis is in Jackson, Tenn. A new bill would launch a feasibility study for a crime lab in Shelby County.

SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. —

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy is emphasizing to state lawmakers of the urgent need for a crime lab in Shelby County. 

The closest one is in Jackson, Tennessee — about an hour and a half away from Memphis. A new bill could help change that. 

HB2916/SB2877, sponsored by Rep. G.A. Hardaway and Sen. Sara Kyle, would start a feasibility study examining the crime lab and its impact on public health, safety, education, housing and the economy for citizens and visitors. 

The study would be conducted by the Tennessee Advisory Committee on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) with help from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the District Attorneys General Conference and the Department of Safety. 

D.A. Mulroy said a crime lab in Shelby County would help fill in some of the gaps at the state crime labs. 

"Rapid DNA testing, cellphone forensics for non-homicide crimes and confirmatory ballistics for non-homicide crimes,” said D.A. Mulroy. 

The D.A. is also asking for a 24-hour ballistics lab — where the bullets and guns can be entered into the national tracing system in a matter of hours (instead of months like the current system). 

"Timely justice is the next best thing to prevention,” said Rep. Hardaway. 

State lawmakers want it to be similar to the crime lab in Metro Nashville that was completed in 2014 and is staffed by 56 people. Hardaway said the Shelby County crime lab would have more updated technology, like artificial intelligence, and require a smaller staff. 

Deborah Clubb the Executive Director fo the Memphis Area Women’s Council and a longtime advocate for sexual and domestic violence victims and survivors. 

Clubb said the crime lab in Memphis will be a game changer, because she’s seen some cases take months and even years to make it to trial due to crime lab backlogs. 

"We've got to work on every which way there is to make this a safe place and get past this epidemic of crime, so a lab that is absolutely available to our law enforcement people is a must," said Clubb.

Ideally, state lawmakers and D.A. Mulroy want to renovate the former TBI building in Memphis that housed the state crime lab before it moved to Jackson, Tennessee. 

The D.A. said some of the forensic equipment is still in the building, but the current plans are for the state to use that facility as an intake for the Department of Children’s Services. 

Rep. Hardaway hopes to also get Mississippi and Arkansas involved to help speed up cases across the entire Mid-South. 

"Sell it to Mississippi and process their evidence; sell it to Arkansas and process their evidence. That's the level of competence that I want to get to,” said Rep. Hardaway. 

It could be a while before the ball is rolling on the bill, because it still hasn’t been heard yet. 

Still, Rep. Hardaway said it has already garnered bipartisan support. 

If the bill passes, TACIR has to submit the report to the Tennessee General Assembly by January 14, 2025. From there, Rep. Hardaway hopes to start the planning phases for the lab.


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