The Southeast Missouri Regional Crime Laboratory was established in 1969, at a time when crime labs were just getting their start in the country. During that first year, the lab took on 50 cases. Since that time, the laboratory has processed more than 60,000 cases, including 2,500 to 3,000 cases each year for the last several years. The lab recently upgraded to a new location, and now operates in a modern, state-of-the-art facility.

The Southeast Missouri Regional Crime Lab serves some 90 different law enforcement agencies, including local, state and federal agencies, and is vital to the law enforcement community in a 20-county service region. The lab provides testing for drugs, ballistics examinations, blood/body fluids, serology, trace evidence, arson, fingerprints, alcohol in blood, urine toxicology and DNA.

The lab is located at 122 S. Ellis in downtown Cape Girardeau.