Construction has started on a new long-awaited state crime lab that officials say will be needed to handle a big increase in the number of DNA samples the state will gather under Vermont’s new sex offender law.
The 30,000-square-foot facility will replace the 8,000-square-foot lab currently housed in the Department of Public Service building.
Lab director Eric Buel says the new building will provide more space for equipment and staff, better temperature controls for lab testing, and a safer firing range to test weapons.
The lab, which is expected to be complete in 12 to 14 months, also will test and store more DNA under a new law that expands the pool of people who will have to provide a DNA sample to be checked against a national database.