ATF to bring new forensic lab to Wichita State

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — On Monday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) announced a new forensic lab coming to Wichita State University (WSU), and it’s expected to bring 100 or more jobs to the city.

Last summer, the ATF announced plans to open the Crime Gun Intelligence Center of Excellence at WSU. This center will assess how law enforcement worldwide investigates violent crime.

This new expansion will further educate a workforce that can help catch criminals locally and around the country.

“This is outside that normal thing we would think about for coming to Kansas,” said Kansas Senator Jerry Moran (R).

This new forensic lab will use DNA tracing of guns and other items and work with the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) to analyze gun casings in crimes to catch criminals.

The expansion will also make WSU the home of the NIBIN Correlation Center, which will allow ATF to support local law enforcement in real-time.

“We are going to take everything we can out of the outside of that gun, the inside of that gun, out of what comes out the front of the come and what comes out the back to try and catch the shooter,” said ATF Director Steven Dettelbach.

Sen. Moran said it will cost about $75 million to build this new building and start the program.

“It’s good policing. It is the proper deployment of officers. It is building community trust, but we also need the technology,” said Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan.

Currently, ATF uses NIBIN to fight violent gun crimes, but there is such a high demand they hope this new facility will help meet the needs of regional, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

It’s also giving WSU Criminal Justice students a chance to have real-world experience.

“What we are trying to do at the university is make sure that we are paying attention to the talent pipeline, the needs in the community, and the agencies like ATF, so they have a ready workforce,” said WSU President Dr. Richard Muma.

“We are going to have students that are going to be in the pipeline to be police officers, detectives, forensic scientists, and we need that more than ever right now,” said Chief Sullivan.

WSU is getting a $1.3 million grant to help create a new curriculum for criminal justice students to prepare them for addressing violent crimes through gun intelligence and other investigative technology.

Sen. Moran said a groundbreaking on this new building is expected in several months.