Published on April 25, 2024
The Huntsville Police Department‘s eight-person Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) team within the Criminal Investigation Division has long faced the challenge of operating in insufficient space. But that’s about to change. Police Chief Kirk Giles announced the construction of a new, state-of-the-art 14,000-square-foot CSI facility on Wheeler Avenue, directly opposite Huntsville Police Headquarters. This cutting-edge building is designed to foster more efficient and rapid processing of evidence, featuring comprehensive laboratories, office spaces, areas for evidence processing, and vehicle processing bays. The initiative doesn’t stop there; it also incorporates a separate, climate-controlled 13,500-square-foot warehouse intended for vehicle and evidence storage, ensuring legal compliance for evidence retention, which is sometimes required indefinitely.
The unveiling of this modern facility mirrors the department’s ambition to enhance its crime scene analysis and evidence handling capabilities. “We have the advanced technology in place for crime scene analysis, but we need dedicated space to be more efficient and process evidence faster,” stated Police Chief Kirk Giles. Echoing the sentiment, Investigator Jeremy Phipps emphasized the importance of the new building and warehouse in meeting legal storage needs for the foreseeable future. He also highlighted the strategic benefit of having additional space to not only accommodate more evidence processing equipment but also to allow for the simultaneous work on multiple cases, thereby minimizing the risk of evidence cross-contamination.
With Pearce Construction at the helm, the department is poised to embark on this $9.7 million project with construction slated to begin in late spring and aiming for completion within a year. This endeavor represents a significant leap towards future-proofing Huntsville’s ability to solve crimes efficiently and effectively, benefiting both the police department and the community it serves. The detailed visualization provided through an artist’s rendering of the facility offers a glimpse into the modern and capable new home awaiting the Huntsville Police Department’s CSI team. It symbolizes a new era of crime-solving capabilities in Huntsville, embodying both progress and the promise of a safer community.
Police Chief Kirk Giles and Investigator Jeremy Phipps have both voiced their anticipation for the project’s completion, recognizing it as a pivotal advancement in the department’s operational capabilities. Giles expressed his belief in the facility’s potential to dramatically improve the speed and efficiency of crime scene analysis, while Phipps sees it as a critical step in ensuring the department’s readiness for growth and enhanced evidence processing capacity. As construction progresses over the coming year, the Huntsville community watches eagerly, recognizing the significant positive impact this facility will have on local law enforcement’s ability to uphold justice and ensure public safety.