City of Columbus applies for improvement grant for crime lab
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The city of Columbus voted to apply for a FY25 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Competitive Grant for its Forensic Crime Lab.
Mayor Stephen Jones said he has always pushed for advancements in the crime lab, even when he was a councilman, and feels it’s a great asset to the city.
Jones said they want to make it bigger as they have people who come from other counties to use the crime lab, as the state crime lab in Jackson stays booked up.
He said they’ve gone to the state and federal government to get funds to expand.
“Like I said, the crime lab in Jackson stays booked up and behind. You can go months or a year waiting on something from them sometimes. So, it helps these other counties and in the Golden Triangle, and like I said, up in Desoto County, Noxubee, Louisville, you know, a lot of them bring their stuff here cause they know that we can get it to them in a timely manner,” said Jones.
Grant writer Susan Wilder says the city can apply for up to $500,000.
Forensic Lab Director Claudette Gilman said just this year, the crime lab received 475 cases for drug analysis from the city and outside agencies, 9 cell phone cases from the city and outside agencies, and 1 crime scene request through the city.
