AUGUSTA - Augusta officials will begin using a new $4.1 million crime lab in September. <br>
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That means the city will no longer have to ship bodies to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab in DeKalb County for autopsies. <br>
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The delay in opening the morgue was mostly because the state didn't have the funds to staff it. Because of that, law enforcement agencies in 15 counties had been sending bodies to Atlanta for autopsies, while the state Legislature worked on coming up with the money to hire a medical examiner. <br>
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Governor Barnes added money to the 2003 budget for the 2,500 square foot morgue, and legislators approved it. <br>
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The National Association of Medical Examiners recently advertised the medical examiner position, which will become available July 1. <br>
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The new crime lab includes a morgue, laboratory, conference room, garage and several offices for the lab manager, scientists, assistants and support staff.
