South Raleigh News

Attorney General Josh Stein has appointed Amanda Thompson as the new director of the North Carolina State Crime Laboratory. Thompson, who has been serving as the assistant director of administrative operations at the Lab since 2016, was selected after a comprehensive nationwide search. She succeeds Interim Director Leslie Cooley Dismukes.

“Amanda has been an integral part of the Crime Lab for more than two decades, and I know she’ll do incredible work as director,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “She will continue to lead the state’s efforts to use science to deliver justice.”

Thompson is a native of North Carolina and began her career with the Lab in 2000 as a DNA database analyst. Her career trajectory includes roles such as forensic scientist, forensic scientist supervisor, and forensic scientist manager of the DNA Database section in 2013. In this capacity, she oversaw sample processing and analysis related to the CODIS DNA database.

As assistant director, Thompson played a pivotal role in eliminating North Carolina’s backlog of untested older sexual assault kits. She also spearheaded renovations to the Raleigh and Triad Crime Lab’s drug toxicology sections to enhance efficiency in drug analysis amidst North Carolina's response to the fentanyl crisis.

The Crime Lab operates from three locations in North Carolina – Raleigh, Edneyville, and Greensboro. It provides free examination of evidence related to criminal investigations for any North Carolina public law enforcement agency, including local, state, federal, military, and railroad police organizations.