Why KSP forensic labs are facing delays

FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — Last year, the Kentucky State Police Forensic Labs issued 36,000 reports on more than 60,000 pieces of evidence. Officials said that’s a heavy responsibility that comes with every piece of evidence that ends up in each of the six KSP labs from more than 400 law enforcement agencies across the state.

“We know that justice depends on the reports that we put out,” said Jeremy Triplett, Director of the KSP Labs Forensic Services Division.

Triplett has been with the lab since 2003 and was promoted to his director position in May 2025. After more than two decades of work in this field, he told FOX 56 that he’s seen it change quite a bit.

“We have robots essentially that can work 96 samples in our biology section where we used to have to do one at a time with the one person pipetting it,” he said.

When it comes to testing seized drugs, Triplett said the KSP Labs are among the best in the country—turning reports in about 25 days. He said toxicology reports are completed in 30 to 60 days.

“They’ll (lab analysts) turn around a trace chemistry report in about three months, which is practically unheard of in the forensic industry,” Triplett said.

But other areas of testing take longer—much longer. He said property crimes are currently taking about six months to turn around. Violent crimes, like homicides, take about nine months, and sexual assault cases can take up to 13 months to process. Triplett said the biggest reason for the backlog is staffing.

“Certainly, we understand that the criminal justice process takes a while, and sometimes they wait on us to finish, and we are trying desperately to catch up,” Triplett told FOX 56. “We just can’t keep some of our newer employees. We have some surrounding states that pay quite a bit more. They’ve changed their salary structures in the last several years, and it’s just very difficult to compete with those salaries.”

KSP officials said the starting salary for forensic biologists, chemists, and firearms and toolmark examiners is $50,000. Bordering states like Tennessee ($66,096), Ohio ($60,528), Indiana ($63,689), and West Virginia ($57,530) outpaced Kentucky by $10,000 or more, though.

Since 2016, KSP said it has spent more than $1.4 million in salaries on employees who were trained and then left to go work for a higher-paying lab before even analyzing a single case.

“Victims are relying on reports and testing and our laboratories to achieve a sense of safety, justice, and security. And so, we know that’s important. We also know that we have to do rigorous testing to ensure that someone’s not wrongfully convicted, so that’s equally important,” Triplett added.

Triplett told FOX 56 that KSP has worked to improve salaries over the last few years, but for many of the employees, it’s not all about money. He said the people working in the labs every day are there because they care about justice and making a difference in the Commonwealth.