Denver Police Offers Tours Of New Crime Lab
DENVER (CBS4) - The Denver Police Department is offering tours of its newest weapon in the fight against crime.
The new Denver crime laboratory located on Cherokee Street is six times larger than the existing crime lab and filled with state-of-the-art technology.
The 60,000 square-foot, $36 million facility was funded by bonds.
Half hour tours will take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and residents who are interested in the tours can get tickets today at DPD headquarters, located at 1331 Cherokee Street.
On the CBS4 Morning News on Monday Dr. Gregg LeBerge showed how Denver police will use the lab to analyze firearms that have been used during crimes. Watch the report.
"The building achieves a better work environment for our employees. It certainly gives us expansion capability in the future ... over time it's a function of the people and the facility," LeBerge told CBS4 last week.
Denver police provided some details about the crime lab in a news release:
- The new lab will enable the Denver Crime Laboratory Bureau to consolidate its units under one roof and provides capacity for on-site vehicle examinations, which are currently being conducted at external District Police offices.
- The facility will connect to the Denver Police Administration complex. The secure connection from the lab to the Denver Evidence Bureau will ensure maximum protection of forensic evidence.
- Last year, Denver's Crime Lab handled more than 10,000 cases.
"The important thing too is that we've got a lot of power. We were running out of power at the old facility and we ran into a lot of problems with control of the temperature of the building," LeBerge said. "This building has been designed with all of those factors in place."
Tickets will be available for pickup on Monday through 7 p.m. They will also be available between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
