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SB 2649

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation - As introduced, requires the TBI to establish a cold case division, to be divided into three geographic regions, each staffed by a regional director and no fewer than five cold case detectives; requires each local law enforcement agency to submit unsolved missing person or homicide cases to the cold case division following the passage of 10 years without resolution. - Amends TCA Title 38; Title 39 and Title 40.

114th Regular Session (2025-2026) Introduced by Kerry Roberts

Tennessee creates a statewide cold case division with three regional offices to assume unsolved homicides and missing persons cases from local police after 10 years without resolution.

Placed on Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee calendar for 4/20/2026
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Bill Summary · SB 2649

Legislative bill overview

SB 2649 establishes a dedicated Cold Case Division within the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, organized into three geographic regions with a regional director and at least five detectives per region. The bill mandates that all local law enforcement agencies submit unsolved missing person and homicide cases to this division after 10 years without resolution.

Why is this important

Cold cases represent unsolved crimes that consume resources inefficiently when scattered across multiple jurisdictions and can leave families without closure for decades. Centralizing cold case investigations under specialized detectives with regional expertise could improve case resolution rates, provide standardized investigative protocols, and demonstrate institutional commitment to solving older crimes. This also addresses potential resource disparities between well-funded and under-resourced police departments.

Potential points of contention

  • Funding and implementation costs: Creating a new division with three regional offices and at least 15 detectives represents significant recurring budget requirements; the bill passed its initial fiscal review but faces scrutiny in Finance Committee
  • Local law enforcement autonomy: Mandatory case transfers after 10 years may be viewed as state overreach into local investigative priorities and decision-making authority
  • Caseload management: Without clear criteria for which cases are "cold," the division could face overwhelming submissions that exceed investigative capacity, potentially creating bottlenecks rather than solving more cases

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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