MILWAUKEE — The Forensic Science and Protective Medicine Facility is the new home of the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Milwaukee Crime Lab, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management, and Versiti’s Organ Procurement Organization and Tissue Bank.
The facility is jointly owned by Milwaukee County and the State of Wisconsin, and cost $245 million dollars in joint funds.
$115 million in State funds that were approved by the State Building Commission and $130 million in County funds, including $24 million in grant funding awarded by the State.
“This ​is ​a ​beautiful ​building, but ​it’s also ​much ​more ​than ​just ​a ​building. ​It’s ​a ​crucial ​step ​towards ​streamlining ​operations, ​improving ​collaboration, ​strengthening ​our ​region’s ​ability ​to ​respond ​to ​public ​safety ​challenges,” says Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
The goal of the facility is to streamline crime procedures in the county.
“People ​are ​ecstatic. Both ​the ​State ​Crime ​Lab ​and ​Milwaukee ​County ​came ​from ​facilities ​that ​were ​outdated ​and ​no ​longer ​served ​the ​functions ​that ​they ​needed ​to ​serve,” says CD Smith Director of Development Todd Wunderlich.
The building broke ground in November 2023 and began operations in spring of 2026. It spans 217,150-square-feet.
