The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) announced at the end of last week that it is hiring for several positions statewide, including forensic scientists.
According to the TBI’s job posting, the duties of a Forensic Scientist include:
Responsible for analyzing physical, biological, or chemical evidence submitted to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; and composing technical laboratory reports describing the results of tests. Uses and maintains advanced scientific instrumentation. Consults with criminal court attorneys, and testifies in local, state, and federal courts on the results of forensic analysis. Serves as a consultant to law enforcement investigators across the state. Responsible for crime scene investigation requiring 24/7 on-call status on a rotating basis.
The job requires a college degree in chemistry or other natural or physical sciences.
In October, the state announced that TBI would hire 25 new forensic analysts in the wake of the murder of Eliza Fletcher.
“Today, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally and Speaker Cameron Sexton announced a decisive step to accelerate the hiring process for 25 additional forensic lab positions at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI),” said a press release from the governor’s office. “Taking this action ahead of the regular budget process will expedite the TBI’s efforts to expand testing capacity and reduce the turnaround time for sexual assault kits (SAKs).”
Fletcher, a mother and school teacher, was allegedly abducted and kidnapped by a Memphis man with a lengthy rap sheet named Cleotha Abston. She was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head after a lengthy search.
Before allegedly murdering Fletcher, Abston had spent 20 years in prison for kidnapping an attorney.
Coincidentally, while he was being booked for Fletcher’s murder, a sample of Abston’s DNA was matched to a rape victim named Alicia Franklin, who was allegedly raped in September of 2021.
The DNA match raised questions about whether Abston would have been free to roam the streets and abduct and kidnap Fletcher if it had not taken TBI a year to analyze the Franklin rape kit.
After the public scrutiny, TBI also said it was working to become more efficient in its testing.
“The length of time to work these cases is attributed to the workload of the four scientists assigned to this unit. These forensic scientists work every biological evidence submission, ranging from homicides to SAKs, to robberies, assaults, and break-ins,” TBI spokesperson Kelli McAllister told The Tennessee Star last year. “In 2021, that included 602 evidence submissions. These scientists are also responsible for responding to crime scenes when necessary and testifying in every court hearing and trial associated with their casework.”
TBI is also hiring a Legal Instrument Examiner and an Administrative Assistant.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
Photo “Forensic Lab” by Sgt. Carlos J. Garcia.
