Tulsa World: City, OSU to do lab work

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City, OSU to do lab work
Construction on the $38.7 million crime-fighting project is set to begin in spring 2009.

Mark Boese gets ammunition to fire a suspect's .40-caliber pistol into a trap in the shoot room recently at the Tulsa Police Department's forensics lab. A new police lab and property and evidence room are expected to be completed by March 2010. STEPHEN HOLMAN/Tulsa World

By DAVID SCHULTE World Staff Writer
Published: 12/29/2008 2:22 AM
Last Modified: 12/29/2008 8:53 AM

Construction is expected to begin this spring on a new Tulsa Police Department forensics laboratory and research facilities for the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences forensic science department.

The $38.7 million project is a joint venture between the city of Tulsa and the OSU medical college, with the five-story building to be built on the southwest corner of the campus at 1111 W. 17th St.

The medical school will provide $21.87 million for construction costs. Most of the funds will come from bonds approved by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the Oklahoma A&M Colleges Board of Regents, operating revenue and grants, said Eric Polak, the school's director of administrative affairs.

Lara Christiansen, a spokeswoman for the city, said the city's portion, approximately $16.86 million, would come from revenue generated by the 2001 and 2006 third-penny sales tax, in addition to the 2005 general obligation bond.

Officials say the project represents a unique partnership that benefits students who want careers in the field of scientific research.

"It's a practicing laboratory with academic programs devoted to forensic science," said Robert Allen, a professor of forensics science and biochemistry at the college.

Maj. Steven Bayles, the Police Department's project manager, said the building's first two floors would contain a property and evidence room and a forensics laboratory for the department.

Each floor will be approximately 25,000 square feet — about four times more than that of the current home for the evidence room and forensics laboratory in the city's Municipal Courts Building.

"Right now, they are working in a very cramped space," Bayles said. "This will give them the opportunity to have more room to perform their examinations."

Capt. Jim Hunter said the additional space would help preserve the more than 36,000 items of evidence that police gather in a typical year. Those items include evidence in homicide cases, which are kept until the convict completes his or her sentence.

Police also keep evidence in "cold cases" — unsolved homicides.

The new forensics laboratory, which is needed to properly preserve tests on evidence used in criminal cases, will also be on the second floor.

"It will give analysts enough space to work on evidence and not trip over ourselves," said Mark Boese, the lab's director.

In November, more than 20 scientists and staff members performed 2,550 tests on evidence, with 2,398 backlogged cases involving tests carried over into December, he said.

Work performed in the forensics laboratory includes fingerprint analysis, DNA testing, firearms examinations, controlled substance analysis and handwriting analysis.

Allen said the medical college would occupy the remaining floors of the new building, with forensic science classrooms, research labs and faculty offices on the third floor.

Biomedical science research labs will be on the fourth and fifth floors.

The college already has research labs for forensic science and biomedical science students, but faculty members say upgrades are needed.

"The facilities that we have are not really geared for laboratory instruction," Allen said. "It will allow us to expand enrollment."

The new laboratories will enhance students' ability to research a variety of subjects, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and other hard-to-diagnose diseases.

Allen said the new facility could also "open the door" to the school receiving federal funds from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which would enable students to conduct research in bioterrorism on crops.

The police lab and property and evidence room are expected to be completed by March 2010, and the classrooms, offices and laboratories for the college should be completed by September of that year.

David Schulte 581-8367
david.schulte@tulsaworld.com By DAVID SCHULTE World Staff Writer

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	Report Comment Eric, Tulsa (12/29/2008 6:45:53 AM) This is a big plus for the OSU medical school as well as the Tulsa Police Dept.
	Report Comment my view, Sand Springs (12/29/2008 8:28:04 AM) Your right Eric it is a big plus for Tulsa as well as all of Northeastern Oklahoma.
	Report Comment Missy..M, blank (12/29/2008 10:41:21 AM) This is great,Hope they do well in their new home.
	Report Comment dukeera, Jenks (12/29/2008 12:48:47 PM) I suspect they'll have to build a parking garage. The parking lot's always full, and there's not a whole lot of room on the property for more surface parking. I don't know where the students park during Oktoberfest! Hope the buiding is as nice as the current one - it's quite attractive!
	Report Comment Tulsa Life, (12/29/2008 1:25:20 PM) Good stuff!!!
	Report Comment R U 4 Real?, GREATER TULSA AREA (12/29/2008 2:11:53 PM) This is great news. I wonder why build a new building when there are empty buildings that could be rennovated for this project.
	Report Comment R U 4 Real?, GREATER TULSA AREA (12/29/2008 8:53:13 PM) Maybe the building should be constructed on the fairgrounds with city tax money or the old city hall building.
	Report Comment pinkie dovie, Sand Springs (12/29/2008 11:11:07 PM) Maybe we will get some quicker identifications processed, such as, the remains found in Sand Springs who they still have not released the name.
	Report Comment okie ridgerunner, small town (1/2/2009 9:29:02 PM) This is great. i think it will be a big help if they just go ahead and do as planned.

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