DPS NEWS

A Closer Look at the State Crime Lab

The Utah Department of Public Safety’s crime laboratory was established in the 1970s to provide criminalistic laboratory service to federal, state, and local law enforcement, prosecuting attorneys and public defenders. The lab is the only full-service forensic lab in the State of Utah, serving over 175 agencies representing Utah’s population. The lab is a physical evident fact finder. It does not work for a particular investigator, prosecutor or defense attorney. It’s a neutral entity that advocates for the use of science to determine information that the criminal justice system can rely upon. In order to meet the needs of our community and partners, the lab opened a new central laboratory in February 2017.

Solving cases is only the beginning. Each of our scientists is a qualified expert in their respective fields. And our testing meets top international quality and transparency standards. Our efforts have led to the resolution of some of the biggest criminal cases in Utah history. The video below gives you a glimpse into the forensic side of DPS and how our scientist get to the bottom of what the naked eye can’t see.

Aside from the work done inside the laboratory, our DPS forensics team is the sole provider of comprehensive forensic science training for Utah law enforcement. We provide training for minimal to no charge. Trainings include basic crime scene and shooting scene reconstruction. The DPS crime lab team is the only accredited team in the state and is capable of deploying anywhere. They are available to law enforcement agencies during all hours.