- A state-of-the-art facility that's been in the plans for the last 35 years; local officials from across Acadiana came out to celebrate 'breaking ground' on the project.
- Will the new, $26 million Acadiana Crime Lab help resolve the backlog of cases?
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A project 35 years in the making is finally coming to fruition. On Friday, May 10, officials from all over Acadiana visited New Iberia for a groundbreaking ceremony of the new, $26 million, Acadiana Crime Lab. According to the facility's director, Kevin Ardoin, "this has been the goal" since 1989.
“We’ve got a good team, I think we can produce a good product which is ultimately gonna help who we serve; the people we serve, the law enforcement we serve, I mean, that’s the goal. We are that unbiased voice in the criminal justice system."
Almost two years ago exactly, several district attorneys from the area began petitioning for a new facility, saying the current lab is in disrepair, which could jeopardize the integrity of criminal investigations.
"We do have a backlog," said Ardoin, "and we have a great staff, great equipment right now…it’s just that we also have a lot of crime.” With upgraded, state-of-the-art technology, 14,000 sq. ft. to work with, and the possibility of adding more criminal analysts to the staff, Ardoin and others are hopeful for improvements.
“It is an opportunity for us to get increased space," said DNA Analyst Jeremy Dubois, "and with that, hopefully it leads to us getting more casework out." With over 20 years of combined experience in the lab and in law enforcement, he understands why having resources to properly analyze evidence is crucial to a case.
“So as far as the DNA-side goes," Dubois explained, "if you have the opportunity to where, you can get a profile and then you can match it to a person—from what I understand, juries tend to see that as very strong evidence. So us being able to bring that through on the DNA-side, is crucial.”
Based out of New Iberia, Ardoin said this "central location" is the perfect spot for the new facility. "From the furthest end of a parish all the way to the other...you could be saving seventy minutes of driving. This really is an ideal location, and we're very excited."
The new Acadiana Criminalistics Laboratory is set to be complete by July of 2025.
