RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN – County leaders, emergency personnel, and law enforcement officials will gather this morning for the groundbreaking of the new Regional Forensic Center for Rutherford County that will be in Smyrna. The facility, which represents a major step forward in forensic and investigative capabilities, is being built at 206 I Street in Smyrna, with the ceremony to be held this morning (Wednesday, August 27, 2025) at 10:00 AM. Mayor Joe Carr stated…
The $15 million project, approved earlier this year by the County Commission in a 17–3 vote, will be located on a 10-acre campus near Weakley Lane alongside other county services such as EMS and the County Clerk’s Office. Once complete—expected by early 2027—the center will have the capacity to handle up to 1,000 autopsies annually, reducing the strain on Nashville’s Middle Tennessee Regional Forensic Center, which currently serves 60 counties.
Past Mayor Bill Ketron and current Mayor Joe Carr, have both talked for years about the need, suggesting that Rutherford County families have faced long delays in receiving autopsy results due to the high demand in Davidson County. Law enforcement agencies have also been required to travel to Nashville, limiting their participation in critical investigations. The new Smyrna center is designed to address those issues by providing faster turnaround times, better collaboration between detectives and forensic staff, and enhanced training opportunities for local investigators…