MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Talks continue about bringing a crime lab to the city of Memphis due to the closest forensic testing facility being miles away in Jackson, Tennessee. It's been an ongoing discussion between local leaders and state law enforcement agencies. Yesterday, Senator Brent Taylor hosted David Rausch, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director, to give updates on the project. The crime lab helps investigators with the critical job of examining key forensic evidence linked to criminal cases. Currently, forensics from Memphis and Shelby County are being sent to the TBI facility 85 miles away in Jackson. According to data from 2023, more than a quarter of all evidence sent into that lab comes from Shelby County. Crime lab study adds immediate ways to improve forensic testing While some are in favor of bringing the crime lab to Memphis, others say it comes with a high cost. "I think it would be a game changer in terms of increasing our solve rate," said District Attorney Steve Mulroy. "Totaling cost about $52-66 million, that's your range, for the first year. That does not include search for personnel, training, utilities, and other unexpected expenditures," said James McCutcheon, the project director. This is an ongoing discussion.