TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jun 11, 2025

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s (TBI) crime lab in Jackson will dedicate two scientists to DNA and ballistics testing exclusively for the Memphis Police Department. Memphis City Council member Philip Spinosa and Sen. Brent Taylor, R-Memphis, announced the agreement Tuesday. According to the Daily Memphian, the city will fund both positions, and the arrangement will remain in place until the city or county proceeds with building an independent crime lab. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris told the news outlet he is still pursuing a local crime lab independent of the TBI. Harris and District Attorney General Steve Mulroy estimate the annual cost of that operation to be $5.5 million.