Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Director David Rausch told the Senate Judiciary Committee last week that a first-of-its-kind collaborative partnership with the City of Memphis has proven highly effective in expediting forensic processing of crime evidence. Under the program, the city funds two dedicated scientists embedded at the TBI’s Jackson crime lab.
“If Memphis has something they want to put in front of the line, they call these scientists and they’ll work that first at their request,” Rausch said during a February 17 budget hearing. “And so it’s working really well in a collaboration with the Memphis Police Department… as well as the mayor’s office.”
The arrangement — one scientist focused on DNA analysis and the other on firearms examination — allows the Memphis Police Department to prioritize urgent cases. Rausch noted that the TBI reassigned two existing, trained positions in March 2025 to handle Memphis cases exclusively while backfilling those roles, bypassing the standard training periods of about 18 months for DNA and over two years for firearms to deliver quicker results for criminal investigations and trials.
The partnership stems from negotiations involving State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis), Mayor Paul Young, and Rausch (pictured above), initially addressing concerns over crime lab resource allocation and backlogs following discussions in prior years about potential relocation issues. Memphis signed a formal one-year renewable agreement with the TBI in July 2025, effective August 1, reimbursing the state up to roughly $320,000 annually for salaries, benefits, and related costs—providing forensic capacity without the expense of a new local lab.
In a statement following the testimony, Taylor highlighted the update as a major success in his #MakeMemphisMatter initiative, crediting it with speeding criminal cases amid efforts like the Memphis Safe Task Force, which has driven thousands of arrests in Shelby County. He praised Rausch and Young for their roles in the “win-win” model that tackles justice system bottlenecks.
“With more than 7,500 arrests since the Memphis Safe Task Force arrived, this is a huge win for Memphis and Shelby County and is a prime example of how our #MakeMemphisMatter efforts are getting sh*t done!” he wrote, adding, “I commend TBI Director Rausch and Mayor Paul Young for joining me at the table to develop this efficient approach using the state’s lab and equipment to process evidence faster. It’s a true win-win for everyone.”
Recent developments show the model expanding: Shelby County has since funded two additional embedded scientists dedicated to county cases, building on the Memphis framework for broader regional impact.
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Christina Botteri is the Executive Editor of The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow her on X at @christinakb. Â
