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Mayor and DA propose county-run "scribe lab" focusing on digital forensics, ballistics and rapid DNA; estimate under $6M yearly
Summary
Mayor Lee Harris and District Attorney Steve Mulroy urged Shelby County to fund focused local forensic capacity for cell-phone/data analysis, ballistics and rapid DNA testing, citing long turnaround times at state labs and a recurring cost estimate below $6 million annually.
Mayor Lee Harris and Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy presented a proposal to the Budget & Finance Committee to expand local forensic capacity tailored to Shelby County’s needs, focusing on digital forensics (cell phones), enhanced ballistics analysis and rapid DNA testing.
Mulroy said the county used to have a local crime lab and, after the state moved assets to Jackson, the county lacks sufficient capacity for investigations beyond homicides. He and the mayor framed the proposal as a local supplement — not a replacement — for Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) services, targeted to areas where delays or limited capacity impede investigations.
The DA described three specific gaps: digital device forensics, which are valuable in many investigations but are now performed locally in a limited way and primarily reserved for…
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