Justice Department Awards Grants to Upgrade Kansas Forensic Laboratories

The U.S. Department of Justice announced grants for improvements to Kansas forensic laboratories on June 3, 2026.

The grants will support upgrades at multiple facilities that serve all 105 counties in Kansas. The labs handle DNA analysis, toxicology, firearms testing, latent prints and digital evidence for state and local law enforcement agencies. The announcement did not disclose the exact dollar amount or number of individual awards.

The awards will fund new equipment, facility renovations and staff training. Previously many Kansas labs operated with aging instruments that created backlogs in DNA and controlled-substance cases. The new funding shifts those labs to modern instrumentation and expanded capacity, with improvements scheduled to roll out over the next 12 to 24 months.

Downstream, the upgrades will reduce turnaround times for forensic reports used in criminal prosecutions and exoneration reviews. Police departments and prosecutors across the state will receive faster lab results, allowing quicker charging decisions and earlier preparation for trial.

Defense attorneys will also gain timely access to independent testing. The grants form part of a nationwide Justice Department initiative that channels Byrne Justice Assistance Grant dollars and other federal forensic funds to state laboratories.

This announcement continues a multi-year federal effort to address forensic backlogs that grew during the COVID-19 pandemic. Congress has repeatedly appropriated additional money through the Justice Department’s Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants and the DNA Backlog Reduction Program to modernize crime labs nationwide.