Governor wants a new building for DPS and ME

Governor Tom Vilsack says the state should build a new 62-million dollar building for the State Medical Examiner and Department of Public Safety. Joe Shannahan, a spokesman for the governor, says the new building would include a new lab and equipment for investigating crimes.Shannahan says the Medical Examiner and D-P-S don’t have enough space to complete autopsies and other tests needed by Iowa law officers. Shannahan explains the plan for paying for the building. He says the money would come from gaming revenues that go into the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund. He says something needs to be done soon to give the Medical Examiner and D-P-S more space as there’s a backlog of cases waiting.The new building would house the Forensic Science Lab for the Public Safety Department, along with a new morgue and autopsy facilities.