TACIR report: Tennessee crime labs must be expanded to meet needs

While the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has increased testing capacity and hired additional scientists, evidence backlogs will continue to affect investigations, prosecutions, and justice for Tennesseans unless lab capacity is expanded and more funding is allocated. 

The Tennessee Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) delivered an 81-page report requested by the General Assembly to determine the best route forward for forensic testing in the state.

"Evidence backlogs affect investigations; prosecutions; and justice for victims, communities, and those wrongfully accused," the report stated. "The ripple effects of these delays extend beyond individual cases, influencing public trust and safety. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) has increased its testing capacity by hiring additional scientists, and turnaround times for some testing categories have improved. But other categories have not improved, and on top of that, demand for testing continues to increase."

Key findings from the report included a need to expand crime lab capacity in each grand division – including the replacement of existing Knoxville lab and the addition of a new lab in Chattanooga. 

Prior to the report being issued, TBI and Memphis  had already signed an agreement to expand forensic support for criminal investigations in the city by assigning two forensic scientists at TBI’s Jackson lab—one in DNA and one in firearms—to work solely on Memphis cases

In the meantime, the report also recommended the General Assembly amend DNA testing laws to law rapid DNA implementation at booking stations and that the state support resource-sharing partnerships for training local law enforcement agencies across the state through funding and technical assistance.

The report was commissioned by the General Assembly in 2024 to evaluate the feasibility and need for establishing additional crime labs throughout the state.