MERIDIAN — Gov. Brad Little spoke last week about safety in Idaho and what police at the state, county and municipal levels need to keep safe the people who live and work within the Gem State.

According to the governor, safety is why people come to Idaho.

“It’s no secret to the people that are here about what’s taken place in Idaho, the incredible, almost unbelievable growth we have,” Little said. “But when you look at the numbers and you know, you go out and visit with new people who come to Idaho, one of the No. 1 reasons (they come here) is public safety.”

For public safety to advance, from how the state operates at the federal level down to the youngest officer at the smallest police station, Little spoke to probably 100 people about how the future home of the state’s new forensic services laboratory will help with that.

“For those people to do their job, we need what we’re going to have here right away,” Little said. “People come here, people who have been here expect a safe environment and you can’t have effective law enforcement if you don’t have the tools that they need to do their job.”

ADVANCING IDAHO POLICING

Idaho State Police, with help from Little, broke ground on ISP’s new forensic services laboratory. The 20,000-square-foot forensic lab will be just across the street from ISP Headquarters in Meridian. The $29 million facility is scheduled to open in January 2028, according to Matthew Gamette, laboratory system director for ISP Forensic Services. Phase one of the facility — design and entire construction — has been funded by the State of Idaho General Fund, pursuant to House Bill 779, which was approved by the Idaho Legislature in 2022. Those funds have also paid for some of the early design work and site work for phases two and three, but phases two and three are not part of this part of the project yet and are subject to funding.

Once it’s all done, Gamette said the project will make residents safer.

“What happens in this forensics lab, it benefits all of Idaho,” Gamette said. “The forensic work that happens in this laboratory, the benefit to Idaho State Police is about 10% of what we do. The other 90% of what we do is a benefit to the local law enforcement. ... Most of the work that happens in this facility in Meridian already, and will happen in this new facility, is work that benefits the local citizens. It’s working those cases, those property crimes, sexual assaults, assaults, homicides that are in those local Idaho communities. When we are holding those perpetrators accountable, holding the right perpetrators accountable for those crimes, we are taking them off the streets, preventing recidivism, (and) we’re exonerating those who didn’t commit those crimes. So you can feel safe being an Idaho citizen that we are taking these crimes seriously, we’re solving them, we’re getting the right perpetrators. It makes Idaho safer.”

The facility will allow for DNA casework, latent print examination, digital forensics and the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), according to an ISP news release about the project. ISP Forensic Services (ISPFS) delivers scientific analysis and related services statewide. In Fiscal Year 2026, the laboratory system received 16,069 case submissions, including 3,745 DNA samples and supported 114 law enforcement agencies, prosecutors in all 44 Idaho counties, 14 public defender offices and 44 coroners. Another element about the new project, according Gamette, is it will allow space to do that.

“The technology that’s going to be in this building right here is incredibly important, and you’ve got to have a laboratory that can do the work, that will have the equipment,” Little said. “But more importantly, we can recruit, retain the very best people, because you can have the building, you can have the equipment, but if you don’t have really qualified people to do the work, then whatever work the law enforcement does, the prosecutors do, my friends in court might have issues with it. The better they do their job, the more efficient law enforcement is from one end to the other and that’s why this is so important.”

WORDS FROM THE DIRECTOR

ISP director Col. Bill Gardiner called Tuesday “a big day for Idaho.”

“This lab represents so many things. It helps in so many different ways and it really demonstrates the state’s commitment to public safety in what what we’re doing,” Gardiner said. “The governor kind of keyed in on the importance of the equipment that’s going in there and then he touched on the quality of our employees that we have there. I will tell you there’s a reason that the Idaho Forensics Unit is second to none and they are world-renowned. It’s really because of the employees that serve there and our scientists that work there. They’re at the top of their game. They do the best work, literally, not only in our country, but on the planet.”

According to ISP, planning and design for this project have taken several years, with ISPFS scientists and managers working with laboratory design professionals to create efficient, purpose-built workspaces.

“The building will feature specialized electrical, plumbing, HVAC, information technology and other infrastructure essential for a modern forensic laboratory,” according to ISP. “The facility will also support emerging technologies, including plans to establish Whole Genome Sequencing capabilities for advanced forensic DNA analysis. These advancements will enhance tools available for current investigations and cold cases.”

Gardiner said one of the things ISP prides itself on is when the locals call, ISP is there to help.

“We have over 125 law enforcement organizations in the state of Idaho, and this lab serves every single one of them,” Gardiner said. “So as we watch this building rise over the next 18 months, I think we need to be able to reflect on what it actually means as we’re doing it. Not only does it represent the investment that the state makes, (which) goes all the way from our governor, who is a massive supporter of public safety and law enforcement, to the legislature to the citizen walking down the street. Everybody understands that if you’re going to have clean, safe communities, you have to invest in public safety. That’s one of the differences that we have here in Idaho.”

Gardiner called the structure itself “a reflection of those victims and them seeking justice and those victims seeking closure.”

THE MAN WITH THE VISION

Gamette spoke last, but it’s clear he wasn’t last to speak up. He was credited with having the vision, drive and an unrelenting belief in the forensic staff and the forensic lab system and the need for cutting edge technology.

“I am so grateful to be here today at this historic event, where we celebrate the investment and the groundbreaking of the first Idaho State Police facility dedicated to a single purpose of forensic science,” Gamette said. “This facility sends a signal to Idaho’s citizens and to all people all over the world that Idaho is making a significant investment in applying forensic service, forensic science tools in solving criminal cases, bolstering the criminal justice system and supporting victims of crime.”

Gamette touched on the “several years” it’s taken to bring the project to life, but also how the vision for it goes back a lot longer. It sounds like forensic science is something Idaho as a state prioritizes.

“Idaho has always been a leader in the forensic science community,” Gamette said. “Idaho State Police Forensic Services was one of the first laboratory systems in the world to be accredited. One of the first to obtain ISO International Accreditation, the first to require all of its scientists to be certified and is consistently rated as one of the top-10 forensic science laboratories in the world for efficiency.”

Gamette told the Idaho Press he’s “excited” to give a space to ISP’s scientists.

“(It’s a space) that they can be proud of, and (it) shows our commitment to their work, and that they can really do the science that they have learned and professionally they can be successful in this new laboratory,” Gamette said.

GOVERNOR’S REMARKS

After flinging some 43rd state dirt, Little spoke more to the Idaho Press about teamwork in public safety.

“As both Col. (Gardiner) and I talked about, public safety in Idaho is really dependent on people working together and having good quality people and good quality results,” Little said. “I just asked them about a DNA turnaround, on a DNA test. It used to take 2-3 weeks, now it takes 45 minutes. And the cost is a fraction of what it used to be.”

Little called the project “a good deal.” He also made a promise to Idaho residents.

“No matter where they are, whether it’s ISP, their local sheriff, or their local police, or whoever it is, that they will have the professional equipment and people to make sure they adjudicate justice as swiftly and as efficiently as possible,” Little said.