Milwaukee’s long-promised new crime lab is finally open, and evidence processing is officially back on the menu after a months-long move. The Wisconsin Department of Justice says its Division of Forensic Sciences has secured accreditation for the facility, clearing it to process evidence from active criminal investigations.
The opening was first reported by FOX6 News Milwaukee, which said the lab is now fully open for evidence processing following the Wisconsin DOJ’s accreditation announcement. The facility replaces the former state lab on South 11th Street and moves the operation to the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center campus in Wauwatosa.
New Lab Serves Eight Southeastern Wisconsin Counties
According to Wisconsin DOJ, the Milwaukee laboratory is one of three full-service state crime labs and serves Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha counties. Its work includes DNA analysis, controlled-substance testing, firearms and toolmarks examination, toxicology, trace evidence, latent prints, footwear and forensic imaging.
The accreditation is more than a ceremonial stamp on a new building. The department’s quality assurance program says the state laboratories operate under ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standards in several forensic disciplines, with procedures intended to protect evidence integrity and produce impartial analysis that can withstand courtroom scrutiny.
Opening Arrives Ahead Of Earlier Move Timeline
The relocation temporarily interrupted processing while equipment was validated and the new site went through accreditation. A Wisconsin DOJ notice said high-priority cases or matters with court deadlines before October 20 could be transferred to another crime laboratory, while full operations at the new location had initially been projected for the end of September.
The new lab is part of a larger Forensic Science and Protective Medicine Facility that also houses the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office and the county’s Office of Emergency Management. A 2023 state announcement said bringing the agencies together was expected to improve coordination around forensic investigations, emergency response and medical-examiner work.
For Milwaukee-area law enforcement, the immediate payoff is operational rather than flashy: evidence can once again be processed through the region’s local state laboratory after the move. The Wisconsin DOJ says its crime-lab system provides forensic analysis to communities across the state, giving the Wauwatosa opening a statewide reach despite its distinctly Milwaukee-area address.
