GBI asks for funding to expand Macon crime lab, add scientists and address backlog

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation requested amended-25 and FY26 funding to add crime-lab staff, cover start-up costs and expand equipment service contracts aimed at reducing a growing forensic backlog, agency leaders told the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The request targets three hires to boost chemistry capacity at the central crime lab in Macon, start-up funding for crime-lab assistant managers at headquarters and expanded service contracts for laboratory instruments. The GBI said chemistry makes up the largest share of pending evidence across its labs and that Macon accounts for roughly 15% of the agency’s backlog.

The funding package includes one-time start-up costs for new crime-lab positions, recurring costs to support equipment upkeep and a separate proposal to design a larger central crime lab in Macon. The GBI representative said additional assistant-manager posts would provide oversight and quality-control for scientists and that service contracts speed access to repairs and replacement parts, which reduces downtime and helps lower backlog growth.

“Additional funds are needed for FY‑amended '25 and FY‑26 due to continuing cost increases and equipment previously under warranty needing to be added to those service contracts,” the GBI representative said during the hearing.

Why it matters: forensic backlogs slow criminal prosecutions and can delay trials. The GBI told the committee that chemistry evidence comprises the largest portion of its pending work; raising lab capacity in Macon is aimed at shifting workload away from headquarters and Pooler and improving turnaround for cases statewide.

Details the agency provided - Positions requested: start-up funding for three positions dedicated to chemistry work at the Macon lab and funding for one (house increased funding for two) crime-lab assistant manager positions at headquarters to provide oversight. The agency said the assistant-manager role is supervisory with oversight and quality-control duties while still contributing to lab work as needed. - Backlog: GBI said chemistry accounts for the largest share of evidence backlog across the agency; Macon contributes about 15% of the agency’s backlog, Pooler about 14%. - Service contracts: the agency reported an 18% increase in statewide security contract costs since FY22 for certain services and noted rising costs for crime-lab instrumentation maintenance; the agency said restoring and expanding service contracts in prior years helped secure priority service calls and some parts coverage. - Capital: the GBI proposed phased construction and renovation at Macon that begins with a Medical Examiner expansion, followed by crime-lab expansion, to avoid interrupting services. The design request is for the amended budget and a later construction request would follow.

Committee questions focused on whether assistant-managers would also perform bench work or primarily supervise, the training pipelines for new scientists and whether Pooler and headquarters equipment/service allocations would shift if Macon expands. The GBI representative said the assistant managers would primarily provide oversight but also handle quality control related tasks and that the agency expects to consider placement of the second assistant manager by discipline and backlog needs.

Ending: The GBI asked appropriators to approve the staffing and service-contract increases so the agency can reduce forensic turnaround times in the coming fiscal year and move ahead with phased capital work in Macon.