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by Jessica Warner
AUSTIN – During National Forensic Science Week, the Texas Department of Public Safety is recognizing the work of its Crime Laboratory Division and highlighting new initiatives and record-setting testing numbers from the past year.
“Texas is a leader in forensic science because of the incredible men and women working in DPS Crime Laboratories across the state every single day to help solve crimes and bring justice to victims,” said DPS Crime Laboratory Division Chief Brady Mills. “This National Forensic Science Week, we celebrate the achievements they’ve made and their continued efforts to serve the people of this state.”
DPS said its Crime Laboratory Division processed 113,259 requests for forensic testing and uploaded a record 148,993 arrestee and offender DNA samples to the Combined DNA Index System, known as CODIS.
The department’s Breath Alcohol Program hosted 64 breath test operator schools and certified approximately 1,200 new breath test operators in the last year, DPS said.
DPS also highlighted its Sexual Assault Evidence Tracking program, which allows survivors to anonymously monitor the status and location of evidence. DPS said the program concluded its seventh year of statewide electronic tracking on Aug. 31, 2026. To date, 72,549 sexual assault kits are being tracked in Track-Kit, with 10,603 kits collected statewide in 2026, according to DPS.
The agency said it continues testing older sexual assault kits that were previously never submitted to a crime laboratory and had been stored untested in property rooms across the state. DPS said it has completed an additional 725 kits as part of that project this year, citing supplemental grant funding from the Office of the Governor.
DPS said it has initiated the launch of Texas CLR Connect, a statewide initiative directed under SB 991, which passed during the 88th Legislative Session. The software portal is designed to streamline the request and transfer of crime laboratory records among crime laboratories, attorneys representing the state and other authorized parties as part of the criminal discovery process under Article 39.14 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The department said its Crime Laboratory Division also completed the first phase of SB 1723, a law passed by the 89th Legislature to explore the use of Rapid DNA technology at booking facilities in Texas. DPS said the technology would allow booking facilities to enter an arrestee’s DNA sample and test it against the CODIS database in under two hours. Currently, DPS said all felony offender samples must be sent to DPS’ CODIS lab in Austin for processing.
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office are participating in the pilot program, which began on Sept. 1, 2025, DPS said. Over the last year, DPS said it worked with both agencies on instrument installation, technology integration and training. Heading into the second year of the pilot program, participants will begin entering arrestee samples into the Rapid DNA system. DPS said it will report findings from the second year of the program back to the Texas Legislature no later than Jan. 1, 2028.
DPS also pointed to the state’s Limited Consent for DNA Testing Program for sexual assault survivors, which it said was implemented Dec. 1, 2025. Created under HB 1422, the program allows survivors of sexual assault to obtain a forensic medical exam and have evidence collected and tested for foreign DNA material free of charge, even if a report has not been made to law enforcement. DPS said more than 500 kits have been submitted under the program.
DPS’ Crime Laboratory Division was established in 1937 as a one-chemist operation at Camp Mabry in Austin. Today, DPS said it includes 16 accredited labs and programs statewide and approximately 712 personnel. DPS said its standard areas of analysis include trace evidence, biology/DNA, digital and multimedia evidence, firearms and toolmarks, friction ridge analysis, forensic documents, seized drugs and toxicology. The division also includes the Breath Alcohol Laboratory and its Office of the Scientific Director, which DPS said are legislatively charged with administering a statewide judicially acceptable forensic breath alcohol test program.
As part of National Forensic Science Week, DPS is offering free public tours at some crime laboratories across the state. DPS said people should contact individual laboratories for tour times and availability. The listed tour dates include:
North Texas Region: Garland on Tuesday, Sept. 22; Tyler on Thursday, Sept. 24.
Southeast Texas Region: Houston on Thursday, Sept. 24.
South Texas Region: Corpus Christi on Monday, Sept. 21; Laredo on Wednesday, Sept. 23; Weslaco on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
West Texas Region: El Paso on Friday, Sept. 25.
Northwest Texas Region: Abilene on Wednesday, Sept. 23; Lubbock on Monday, Sept. 21.
Central Texas Region: Austin on Thursday, Sept. 24.
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