Message from Director Michael Sparks
Laboratory Closings

With regret I must inform you that the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences (ADFS) Laboratories in Florence, Jacksonville, and Dothan will be closing July 1, 2011. These three laboratories will no longer receive evidence after June 30, 2011. In addition, as of the same date ADFS will no longer provide general crime scene assistance to local law enforcement agencies. The only exception will be for specialty crime scene services such as bullet trajectory and blood spatter interpretation, with prior approval from the appropriate Biology or Firearms Discipline Chief and/or the Director. For an assistance request for specialty crime scene services such as bullet trajectory and blood spatter interpretation please contact (205) 288-6503. If that number is unavailable please contact (205) 901-7669.

Any agencies that submit evidence for analyses that are affected by these closings can submit their drug evidence at any ADFS laboratory. ADFS recommends that affected agencies submit their drug evidence to the regional laboratory (Mobile, Montgomery, Hoover, or Huntsville) they currently utilize for DNA and Firearms analysis. The Laboratories in Auburn and Tuscaloosa will continue to accept only Drug Chemistry cases at this time.

In order to help ensure a smooth transition for this change in evidence submission practice, we suggest contacting the new receiving laboratory prior to your first submission. For contact information for any of our laboratories go the home page of this website and click on the desired laboratory.

As is currently Department policy, any sealed evidence will be accepted by common carrier (U. S. mail, UPS, FedEx, etc). Fire Debris, as well as Toxicology cases, will continue to be submitted in Hoover, either in person or by common carrier.

In addition, as of the same date ADFS will no longer provide general crime scene assistance to local law enforcement agencies.

We regret any hardship or confusion this change may cause.

ADFS Official Lab Closing Notification Letter