Credit: TBI
A report from the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) suggests Tennessee’s crime labs are at or near capacity and the state must consider expanding current facilities and building new ones if there’s any hope of addressing the current evidence backlog.
The backlog became a talking point after the 2022 murder of Memphis school teacher Eliza Fletcher, a 34-year-old kindergarten teacher and mother of two who was killed while on a morning jog.
Her killer, Cleotha Abston-Henderson, raped a woman in September 2021—about a year before Fletcher’s death. A rape kit was submitted by Memphis police on Sept. 21, 2021, to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) for analysis, but, it was not immediately processed due to the backlog. Instead, the DNA from the rape kit was entered into CODIS and a match was made to Abston-Henderson on Sept. 5, 2022—the same day Fletcher’s body was found after she was abducted three days earlier.
Backlash was swift, but so were state officials. Tennessee tried to increase capacity at their forensic labs by quickly hiring more scientists, and while it worked, it wasn’t enough. Despite adding 50 new forensic scientists across TBI’s three crime labs—Jackson, Knoxville, Nashville—over the last four years, only some turnaround times have improved.
For example, TACIR’s report found that turnaround times for sexual assault requests peaked at 45 weeks in August 2022 before declining to 17 weeks in January 2025. However, turnaround times for violent forensic biology evidence increased from 25 weeks in January 2022 to 38 weeks in January 2025, and firearms analysis turnaround time increased from 42 weeks to 67 weeks in the same period.
Additionally, testing requests are on the rise. According to TACIR’s report, demand for all forensic biology tests increased 7% statewide from 2022 to 2024, and the total number of requests for all testing categories at TBI’s Jackson and Knoxville crime labs increased by 17% and 4%, respectively, between 2023 and 2024.
Upgrading existing labs and building new ones
The TACIR report makes it clear that both crime lab capacity and physical crime lab space need to expand to keep up with the demand for forensic services in Tennessee.
In the report, the commission recommends the state increase crime lab capacity in each grand division—specifically by expanding the existing Jackson and Nashville labs, replacing the existing Knoxville lab with a larger lab with capacity for firearms testing, and adding a smaller, focused lab in Chattanooga for drug-related evidence and toxicology. Expansions at the Nashville lab should focus on the most overburdened disciplines, like forensic chemistry and toxicology.
While the state commences these long-term expansion plans, TACIR recommends the following short-term ways to reduce workload and improve productivity:
- TBI continue to look for areas to improve efficiency using external process improvement methods,
- the General Assembly amend DNA testing laws to allow rapid DNA implementation at law enforcement booking stations,
- the state support resource-sharing partnerships for training local law enforcement agencies across the state through funding and technical assistance.
“Evidence backlogs affect investigations; prosecutions; and justice for victims, communities, and those wrongfully accused. The ripple effects of these delays extend beyond individual cases, influencing public trust and safety,” TACIR wrote in its report. “This study serves as an initial framework, offering insights and guidance on the path forward in developing a crime lab that meets the evolving needs of [the state].”