TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jul 2, 2025

A draft report from the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations is recommending that the state build a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) crime lab in Chattanooga to reduce the time needed to examine evidence in criminal cases. According to Chattanoogan.com, for years, law enforcement officers from the Chattanooga area have had to transport evidence primarily to Nashville. The proposed Chattanooga lab would be smaller than the state's other labs in Knoxville, Jackson and Nashville and would focus on drug-related evidence and toxicology. The draft report also finds that all three existing labs are running out of space and need to be expanded. The report calls for expanding lab space, hiring additional analysts and using process improvement methods to keep pace with rising caseloads. Despite recent hirings and investments that have improved some turnaround times at the labs, demand for testing continues to grow, the news source reports.