CRIME LAB PROJECT MOVES AHEAD

The Southeast Missouri Regional Crime Lab could be relocated before year's end because federal funding has been secured to transform an old warehouse in Cape Girardeau into a modern-day forensic lab.

The move could eventually lead to a regional morgue to store bodies and handle autopsies in criminal cases, officials said Wednesday.

Dr. Robert Briner, crime lab director, said he expects construction to begin this spring on renovating the warehouse at Ellis and Merriwether streets.

"I can't see it taking all that long once we get it going," said Briner.

The Justice Department this week approved $750,000 for the project.

U.S. Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond and U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson announced the funding in a brief statement Tuesday.

Briner said it has taken two years to secure the grant money, which will fund more than half of the $1.2 million project.

Missouri and Southeast Missouri State University have each kicked in $100,000. About $50,000 has been raised from private donations.

Counties and cities that use the lab's forensic services will pay the remainder of the construction bill, Briner said.

The project will renovate about 8,000 of the 14,000 square feet in the university-owned building.

The new lab will be three times the size of the existing lab, housed in cramped quarters in an old house the university wants to tear down for parking. The entrance to the existing lab is through a basement door.

Request for morgue

The university wants another $400,000 for further improvements for the new crime lab, including possible establishment of a regional morgue. The added funding requires a local match of about $100,000, Briner said.

Cape Girardeau County Coroner Mike Hurst favors a regional morgue that could include space for a coroner's office.

"I think it is a perfect opportunity for Cape Girardeau County and the citizens of adjoining counties," said Hurst.

Creation of a regional morgue could eliminate the need for Southeast Missouri law enforcement agencies to transport bodies to Farmington, Mo., and St. Louis for autopsies, Hurst said.