State asks $68.1 million to build Southern BCA lab in Mankato, expand Bemidji site as evidence demand rises

The Department of Public Safety asked the Capital Investment Committee on Feb. 11 to fund a new Southern Bureau of Criminal Apprehension regional office and laboratory in Mankato and an expansion in Bemidji, raising the requested amount for the Mankato project to $68.1 million from a prior $48 million.

The request matters because the BCA says statewide evidence demand — from DNA and drug testing to digital evidence and internet-crimes tips — has outstripped current laboratory capacity and the agency is operating over design occupancy at its St. Paul headquarters.

"The governor and lieutenant governor put forward a strong proposal to help address current issues and the future needs for public safety in Minnesota," Commissioner Bob Jacobson told the committee. He said the three Department of Public Safety projects in the governor's package would help statewide public-safety partners and improve evidence turnaround.

Drew Evans, superintendent of the BCA, told members the laboratory shortfall is driven by multiple trends: mandatory testing of sexual-assault kits, growth in digital evidence work and a tenfold increase in child-exploitation and other internet-crime tips (from about 1,200 in 2016 to more than 12,000 last year). "We now have 22 digital evidence examiners doing digital evidence full time," Evans said, adding that the headquarters facility is over design capacity by about 175 staff.

Evans said specialized laboratory space is costly because of equipment, HVAC and security needs. He told members that individual lab machines can cost $150,000 or more and that lab air-handling systems must meet stricter standards than ordinary office HVAC.

The updated request reflects a roughly $20 million increase from the prior estimate. Evans told the panel the increases come from a finalized pre-design that expanded square footage, higher construction costs and a decision to staff the new Mankato facility immediately rather than over a 20-year horizon. The plan would fully staff the Mankato lab at roughly 50 positions and aims to complete final design by June 2025.

Committee members asked whether the Mankato project could be phased and about alternatives such as retrofitting existing buildings. Evans said the project is effectively a single building and that retrofits examined during pre-design proved as expensive as new construction.

The department also proposed Bemidji site work, including about $4.2 million for land acquisition and a roughly doubled footprint to better serve Northern Minnesota. Evans said regionalization and local training hubs would reduce evidence transport and improve laboratory turnaround and court testimony logistics.

Members pressed for staffing and operating-cost estimates for the expanded capacity and for clarity about the timeline for closing existing headquarters space as staff relocate. The department answered that additional staffing would require future legislative action and that immediate occupancy plans would begin with volunteers seeking to relocate and vacancy-driven transitions from St. Paul.

Ending: The committee did not take a vote on the request during the Feb. 11 hearing. DPS said it will provide additional design packets and follow-up cost and staffing details to committee offices; Evans said the agency is open to further questions as design work concludes.