TBI officials give update on crime lab construction

JACKSON, Tenn.– Crews continue work on a new building for people to help solve crimes and close cases.

“We’re adding an indoor firing range, and we’ve added a CODIS unit,” crime laboratory regional supervisor Donna Nelson said. “We also will have the abilities to process vehicles on site. We’ll now have vehicle bays added to the building as well.”

Those are the new additions to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Lab in Jackson.

Back in 2018, officials broke ground on this new facility near McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport.

The lab is named in honor of Special Agent De’Greaun Frazier, who was killed in the line of duty in Jackson.

Since groundbreaking, construction work has come a long way.

Nelson said the completion date is scheduled for March 2021.

“The building will be completed, but there may be minor things that need to be adjusted to make sure the building is completely ready for us to occupy it,” Nelson said.

The planned move in date is July 1, 2021.

“The way I have it planned is we will be transitioning in an attempt not to completely shut down case work in West Tennessee,” Nelson said.

Workers will transition from the Memphis Crime Lab to the new one in Jackson after completion.

Nelson said 24 lab employees will make that transition.

“The intention is to increase that staff as we go along. There’s no time frame associated with that right now,” Nelson said.

The new building will also house Jackson’s TBI Field Office, and office spaces for agents.

The TBI plans to keep the field office in Memphis.