Good news was reported earlier this month for law enforcement agencies in Missouri and South Carolina when officials announced that funding had been approved to build a crime lab in each state.

The first forensics lab will be located in Tulsa Missouri and will be a joint venture between the city of Tulsa and Oklahoma State University. Construction is expected to begin in the spring and should be completed by March 2010. The five-story, 1 million square foot facility, will house both law enforcement officials and students from the University’s medical college. Police will use the new building for storing property and forensic evidence as well as establishing a much larger and more state of the art forensics laboratory. The medical college will occupy the remaining space with forensic science classrooms, research labs, and faculty offices. In addition, OSU will also use the building for biomedical science research. Officials hope that the new facilities will help ease case backlog for law enforcement while providing a unique partnership that benefits students who want a career in the field of scientific research. (more…)