Regional crime lab needs funds
By Associated Press
November 14, 2006
CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Southeast Tennessee's only regional crime lab is
getting too expensive for one county to operate, and now the sheriff
may ask the state to help fund it.
Bradley County created the crime lab after the Tennessee Bureau of
Investigation shut down its Chattanooga lab in 2003.
"I don't think it's the responsibility of local taxpayers to fill a void created by the state," Sheriff Tim Gobble said last week.
The department used a Homeland Security grant to create the lab, but that funding requires them to serve a 10-county area.We've seen Homeland Security money dry up," he said.
Gobble has spoken with Gov. Phil Bredesen about the need for a state-funded crime lab for southeast Tennessee.
Lt. Barry Tharp, supervisor of the Bradley County lab, said the lab was used for more than 2,000 tests on evidence for 40 different agencies in the past year.
Gobble said the backlog is so great that agencies have to wait up to a month to get results back.
Copyright 2006, Associated Press. All rights reserved.