Image of the planned Bureau of Criminal Apprehension office and laboratory in Mankato. Credit: DPS
When a crime happens in southern Minnesota, law enforcement agencies call on our Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s (BCA) crime scene team to document the scene and gather evidence for forensic testing. Problem is, agents and forensic scientists in St. Paul must drive hundreds of miles to reach the scene. Every mile means precious time lost in protecting communities and pursuing justice. But that is about to change. After receiving funding from the legislature, the BCA will build a regional office and laboratory in Mankato to provide investigative, laboratory and training services in communities across southern Minnesota.
For St. Peter Police Chief Matt Grochow, the biggest benefit will be time and money saved not having to drive evidence to St. Paul for testing.
“It will eliminate the three-hour round-trip commute to deliver electronics, narcotics and other items that need to be tested,” said Grochow. “Yes, some items are currently mailed but being able to deliver them directly just makes for a cleaner chain of custody and obviously this eliminates fees for shipping items via certified mail.”
The 56,000 square foot facility will house 50 agents, forensic scientists, support staff and a crime scene response team. Having a crime scene team positioned in Mankato will reduce the amount of time it takes the BCA to respond to crime scenes — in some cases by several hours.
The new facility will include a full-service forensic laboratory and a digital crime lab. We are expecting to be able to process 6,000 cases per year — that’s approximately 12,000 pieces of evidence. Having this laboratory available will speed up BCA evidence processing times for the entire state.
“While we’ve always served the entire state of Minnesota, this new facility in Mankato will be a regional asset providing southern Minnesota law enforcement agencies with more convenient access to the tools and services that will aid their investigations,” BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said. “This gives agencies the opportunity to more quickly solve cases and restore safety to their communities.”
The Mankato facility will also host specialized law enforcement training and direct access to tools like the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) for analyzing gun evidence. In addition, the new facility will provide southern Minnesota agencies with direct access to more evidence analysis technology including for evidence seized in child exploitation cases and Rapid DNA.
“It wouldn't be rapid or convenient if we had to drive to St. Paul, but Mankato will be great,” Grochow added.
The department has begun to lay the foundation for employing dozens of people in the Mankato area. The architectural drawings are complete and DPS plans to break ground sometime later this fall. The facility could be up and running in early 2027.
Republished courtesy of Minnesota DPS