Office of Crime Laboratories Seal

Mississippi Department of Public Safety
Office of Crime Laboratories
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American Society of Crime Laboratory DirectorsASCLD/LAB Accredited since 2003


Overview

The Mississippi Crime Laboratory (MCL), a division of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, was established by legislative authority granted to the Commissioner of Public Safety in 1956. The MCL began operation when funding was made available in 1966. The Director of the MCL is appointed by the Commissioner and is responsible for the operation of the MCL and of the State Medical Examiner’s Office (MSME). The MCL Director reports to the Commissioner of Public Safety.


The Mississippi Crime Laboratory (MCL) system consists of the main laboratory in Jackson and three regional laboratories located in Batesville, Gulf Coast, and Meridian. The MCL provides a full range of forensic services to law enforcement agencies throughout the state. Specific sections providing services at the MCL include:

Administration
Bioscience Section
Controlled Substance Identification Section
Implied Consent Section
Firearm and Tool Mark Section
Latent Print Section
Questioned Document Section
Technical Assistance Section
Toxicology Section
Trace Evidence Section
Mission Statement

The MCL is committed to providing the highest quality of professional forensic services to the State of Mississippi. Interwoven in this committment is a dedication to apply sound scientific principles in all analyses, to be responsive to the clients of the MCL, to maintain a standard of objective and ethical performance, and to be a leader in advancing forensic science. The purpose for existence and mission of the MCL is to provide state-of-the-art, timely forensic analyses to items of physical evidence collected from scenes of criminal activity and report the results of that analyses to appropriate entities in the criminal justice community.

Laboratory Services
MCL services are divided into three categories: Impression Evidence, Analytical, and Bioscience. Impression Evidence services involve comparisons and examination of latent prints, firearms and tool marks and questioned documents, as well as technical assistance to laboratory sections and evidence management. Analytical services primarily involve chemical analysis of substances, and Bioscience services, which are primarily biological in nature, include serology examinations and DNA testing.

The Impression Evidence Division includes the following sections:
- Latent Prints
- Firearms/Tool Marks
- Technical Assistance
- Questioned Documents

The Analytical Division includes the following sections:
- Toxicology
- Controlled Substance (Drug) Identification
- Trace Evidence
- Implied Consent

The Bioscience Division includes:
- Conventional Serology
- DNA Testing
- Offender DNA Database (CODIS)