Nebraska Breaks Ground on New Crime Lab

Construction is underway on a Nebraska State Patrol crime laboratory that is double the size of its current facility.

Crews broke ground on the $9-million lab in northwest Lincoln on Thursday. The 28,000-square-foot facility will replace a nearby lab that’s served Nebraska for the past 40 years.

The nationally accredited forensic operation provides free services to all law enforcement in the state. The crime lab works on an average of 4,000 cases for 160 agencies each year.

A patrol spokeswoman says the Lincoln Airport Authority will pay for the construction. The patrol will reimburse the authority through a long-term lease. She says construction should be completed by next fall.

The patrol superintendent says the new building will allow the patrol to assist law enforcement in “an efficient, professional manner.”