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New Northern Colorado Crime Lab Would Consolidate Crime Investigation

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) - There's a push in Northern Colorado to speed up the crime fighting process. Several communities hope a new $4 million crime lab will help them do it.

The new lab would pull a lot of crime scene investigation work under one roof. Once the new lab is built, crime labs in existing law enforcement buildings in Northern Colorado will move their equipment and employees to the new building.

"Having everyone in one spot makes us more efficient and more effective in what we do," lab director Ronald Arndt said.

As it stands now crime labs are spread across Northern Colorado, making it sometimes difficult to get things done in a timely manner.

"The county has committed $4 million for the construction of a brand new crime lab building," Weld County Commissioner Sean Conway said.

Once built the crime lab will house analysts from Greeley and Loveland police as well as Weld and Larimer county sheriff's offices. It's expected Fort Collins police will join later.

The new lab will make the process of investigating evidence from DNA to fingerprints quicker.

"We're cutting that delay by weeks if not months," Weld County Sheriff John Cooke said.

"Let's say there's a firearm that needs to be processed for DNA, for latent prints and for firearms," Arndt said. "I now have three different sites that gun may have to go in order get that work done. By having everyone in one location, the gun is in one spot."

The new crime lab will be built somewhere near Highway 34 and 257 in Weld County. They are hoping to open the lab by September of 2013.

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