$245 Million Forensic Science Facility Opens in Wisconsin
Wisconsin has opened a $245 million forensic science and medicine facility in Wauwatosa, bringing crime laboratory services, death investigations and emergency response operations together under one roof.
The facility officially opened on 9 October 2026 on the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center campus. The 217,150-square-foot building houses the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Milwaukee Crime Lab, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, the County Office of Emergency Management, and Versiti’s organ procurement organization and tissue bank.
The project was jointly funded by the state and Milwaukee County, with $115 million in state funding and $130 million in county funding. The investment replaces aging facilities and provides purpose-built spaces for forensic examinations, evidence handling and medical investigations.
The crime laboratory occupies more than 70,000 square feet and is designed to support evidence examination, modern forensic technologies and more efficient laboratory workflows. It received accreditation from the ANSI National Accreditation Board in July 2026, according to the official announcement.
The medical examiner’s section includes 12 autopsy stations, including a teaching station and two decomposition stations, alongside refrigerated and frozen storage capacity for approximately 125 decedents. These facilities are intended to support death investigations, forensic pathology and toxicology services, and identification efforts.
Co-locating the agencies is expected to improve coordination when investigations involve multiple disciplines, including cases requiring forensic laboratory analysis and medicolegal death investigation.
The facility also includes emergency operations and dispatch infrastructure to support responses to major incidents and mass-fatality events.The opening highlights how investment in laboratory infrastructure can strengthen forensic capacity, professional training and collaboration among investigators, scientists and medical examiners.