ATHENS – Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced that a new regional office of the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI) will open in Athens to help better serve law enforcement in Southeast Ohio counties.
"I am pleased that we will be able to better serve local law enforcement and county prosecutors in Southeast Ohio by opening a regional BCI office in Athens," said Attorney General DeWine. "Having an office in Athens will make it easier for law enforcement to deliver evidence to be processed by our lab and also to give them access to full-time polygraph services."
The Athens BCI office, located at 86 Columbus Road, will offer the following services: a full-time polygraph operator, evidence collection reception five days a week, space for BCI special agent offices and space for agents to do interviews.
The BCI Athens office will be across the hall from the FBI office, which will offer better access and foster continued collaboration between the agencies.
"Expanding the reach of BCI to better serve the people on the front lines of law enforcement is a top priority of mine," added DeWine.
BCI field agents and scientists assist local police departments, sheriffs' offices and prosecutors by providing investigative, laboratory, and crime scene processing services free of charge.
Crime scene agents respond to calls for help 24/7. Police agencies around the state frequently ask BCI investigators to help with special cases that require a specific expertise, like cyber crimes. And BCI forensic scientists analyze DNA samples to help catch criminals and solve cold cases. BCI support services can be utilized to address new cases or to revisit unresolved investigations.
Additionally, BCI is home to the state's Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), which contains the prints of millions along with their corresponding criminal histories, the electronic Sex Offender Registration and Notification (eSORN) database, and BCI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a database of DNA profiles, among other resources.
Athens will join BCI's offices located in London, Richfield, Bowling Green and Youngstown.
To learn more about BCI and the assistance it provides to local law enforcement agencies, visit www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/BCI.
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