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Mayor and DA propose focused Shelby County crime lab; recurring cost estimate under $6 million
Summary
Mayor Lee Harris and District Attorney Steve Mulroy urged the committee to fund a focused local crime lab for digital forensics, rapid DNA and ballistics, estimating recurring costs under $6 million per year and an FY26 planning ask. Commissioners pressed for phasing, partner contributions and updated turnaround data.
Mayor Lee Harris and District Attorney Steve Mulroy presented a plan to the Budget & Finance subcommittee to expand local forensic capacity in three focused areas — digital/cell‑phone forensics, rapid DNA and confirmatory ballistics — to accelerate investigations and increase clearance rates.
"The objective here is basically to establish and sustain county level forensic capacity in those 3 areas," Mulroy said. He described the proposal as an expansion of existing West Tennessee Forensic Center competencies rather than a replacement of state services and provided rough recurring cost estimates drawn from a University of Memphis feasibility study and comparisons to Nashville: approximately $1,250,000 per year to beef up digital forensics, about $1,500,000 per year for rapid DNA (including test costs and personnel), and additional recurring funding for ballistics examiners and technical support. Mulroy said the total recurring budget would be under $6,000,000 annually.
Commissioners asked how the lab would operate for multiple jurisdictions, how priorities would be set among municipal and county police agencies, and whether the county should frontload the full recurring amount or seek partners. Mayor Harris said the administration would manage the program and that an advisory body including local law enforcement would set workflow priorities; he added that moving quickly would require the county to take on a larger share initially.
The panel also discussed forensic turnaround times. The University of Memphis feasibility work cited a 2023 average ballistics turnaround of 479.5 days; Dr. William McCutchen (University of Memphis) said independent large labs such as Houston operate in about 70–80 days and Nashville is in the 200‑day range. Mulroy and the mayor said the administration expects to return with a more detailed timeline and a feasibility report due in August, with a possible preliminary memo in July for budget planning.
No vote was taken; commissioners signaled interest in phasing, seeking municipal partners and receiving the forthcoming feasibility data before committing recurring funding.
