SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Matt Blunt attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new state crime lab in Springfield.
Blunt said Monday that the impact of the new lab will be felt statewide and lead to faster lab results for law enforcement agencies across Missouri.
The $6.2 million lab will serve Greene County and several other areas in southwest Missouri. It will help reduce the number of backlogged cases at the central crime lab in Jefferson City.
Blunt signed legislation earlier this year that provided about $1.6 million for the space for the new crime lab, which is expected to have about 21 employees to process criminal cases.
Missouri's central crime lab is assisted by six field labs around the state, but those can run only a limited range of tests. Springfield's is the second full-service lab.