TBI wants 40 new forensic scientists

Why it matters: TBI has grappled for years with a backlog in evidence processing. During a Thursday budget hearing, director David Rausch told Lee it has been a looming goal since he took the job in 2018.

What he's saying: "We continually hear … from the judges, from the prosecutors, from defense attorneys that they’re waiting on our evidence," Rausch said. "The only way to address it, frankly, is personnel."

By the numbers: The TBI budget request includes more than $10 million for 40 new scientists and 10 administrative positions in forensics.

• Fourteen of the scientists would handle forensic biology evidence, including processing DNA in violent crimes and sexual assault cases.
• The rest would focus on drug evidence, toxicology reports and DNA collection, among other things.

The big picture: Rausch said he hopes the new positions will bring the maximum turnaround time for evidence testing to 12 weeks.

Meanwhile: TBI also asked for nearly $3 million to expand its cybercrime division to accommodate a "dramatically increasing prevalence" in cases.

What's next: Lee will evaluate proposals from all state departments before announcing his budget plan next year.