Overview
- Groundbreaking was held Monday in Mankato with Gov. Tim Walz and public safety leaders after bipartisan legislative funding approval.
- The facility near the Blue Earth County Justice Center will serve 43 counties across southern Minnesota.
- The lab is designed to handle about 6,000 cases and 12,000 pieces of evidence a year, reducing reliance on St. Paul and easing travel burdens.
- About 50 BCA agents, forensic scientists and a crime response team will work there, and the site will function as a regional training hub.
- Completion is targeted for late 2026 with operations beginning by early 2027, which BCA says will shorten response times, citing the recent Hanska homicide.