Milwaukee County's medical examiners and Wisconsin's Milwaukee Crime Lab spent years working in facilities that had outgrown the demands of modern forensic investigations. The medical examiner's office operated from West Highland Avenue, while the crime lab worked from a 1980s building on South 11th Street.
On October 9, 2026, state, county and project leaders gathered in Wauwatosa to celebrate a new home for both agencies and two additional organizations.
The ribbon cutting marked the completion of the 217,150 square foot Forensic Science and Protective Medicine Facility at 9400 W. Doyne Avenue on the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center campus. The four-story building brings together the Wisconsin Department of Justice Milwaukee Crime Lab, Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office, Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management and Versiti's Organ Procurement Organization and Tissue Bank.
Each organization occupies space developed for its specific operations, according to Milwaukee County.
At the October 9 ceremony, state and county officials spoke about the professionals who work in the facility and the families who depend on their services.
"This facility is about the people behind the work."
David Crowley, Milwaukee County Executive
For medical examiner staff, the new facility provides dedicated spaces for forensic examinations and a private waiting area for families. The location near the Medical College of Wisconsin also supports training opportunities for forensic pathology fellows.
For the crime lab, purpose built laboratories support the scientific examination of evidence. Emergency management teams have dedicated facilities for coordinating preparedness and response, including during major emergencies.
Bringing these operations together also creates opportunities for closer coordination among agencies whose responsibilities often intersect.
Crime laboratories, autopsy suites, evidence storage, a firing range and emergency operations each have different requirements for security, circulation and building systems. Accommodating those functions in one facility required careful coordination among the agencies, design partners and construction teams.
The building incorporates separate environmental controls for sensitive spaces, allowing each organization to operate within the conditions its work requires.
C.D. Smith crews performed site work, concrete, masonry, steel erection, precast parking structure installation, GFRC facade installation, rough carpentry and millwork. Construction was coordinated within the active Milwaukee Regional Medical Center campus.
"People are ecstatic," Todd Wunderlich, C.D. Smith's director of development, told WTMJ at the ribbon cutting. He noted that both the state crime lab and Milwaukee County had been working in outdated facilities.
The October ceremony followed nearly three years of construction and agency transitions.
Additional project information, construction details and photography are available in the Forensic Science and Protective Medicine Facility project profile.
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Date: October 2026
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The facility is located at 9400 W. Doyne Avenue in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, on the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center campus.
Agencies began occupying the building earlier in 2026. The official ribbon cutting took place on October 9, 2026.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice Milwaukee Crime Lab, Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office, Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management and Versiti's Organ Procurement Organization and Tissue Bank.
The facility includes forensic laboratories, evidence examination and storage areas, autopsy stations, emergency operations and dispatch facilities, a firing range and dedicated tissue recovery rooms.
C.D. Smith Construction led construction efforts as part of the broader project team. More information is available in the project profile.
Local, regional and industry media covered the opening and the transition to the new facility.