WAUWATOSA, Wis. — The new Milwaukee Crime Lab has opened with state-of-the-art forensic technology and national accreditation for processing evidence.
Wisconsin and Milwaukee leaders announced the official opening of the 70,000-square-foot laboratory at a press conference within the new Forensic Science and Protective Medicine Facility in Wauwatosa on Wednesday. The new laboratory houses upgraded evidence processing bays, forensic studios and toxicology labs.
“With the prior lab, we were at a point where we had folks literally working in the hallways,” Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said. “This significantly updates the capacity of the labs.”
The new lab replaces the aging Southeast Regional Crime Laboratory in Milwaukee, which was constructed in the 80s with an addition in the early 90s.
A forensics hub is just one section of the new facility near the Medical Colleges of Wisconsin. The site will soon become the new home for the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management and Versiti Wisconsin’s Organ Procurement Organization and Tissue Bank.
Attorney General Kaul said the crime lab’s proximity to those institutions will make it easier to expand partnerships and training opportunities, such as the Division of Forensic Science’s hosting of forensic pathology fellows from the medical examiner’s office.
“It’s going to increase efficiencies,” said Kaul. “And in the event that there is a tragic mass casualty event, it will aid in coordination so that a response can be handled as efficiently as possible.”
New technology capacities could look like probabilistic genotyping for DNA analysis, or toxicology technology that allows for substances to be detected at lower concentrations.
Milwaukee leaders anticipate the equipment upgrades and eventually, more forensic scientists will help with the county’s backlog of felony cases.
“We want to hold the right people accountable for the bad behavior that happens in our community, and scientific evidence is a big part of making that possible,” Milwaukee County District Attorney Kent Lovern said.
The new lab is accredited by the American National Standards Institute National Accreditation Board, a non-governmental organization that provides accreditation services to public and private-sector organizations.
