ONE OF MISSISSIPPI'S OWN RETURNS HOME

Hattiesburg, MS - For Jon Byrd, there is no such thing as a typical day at the office.  There is no “status quo”, and there is no predictable routine.  This is the world of Forensic Science.

Originally from the Jackson area, and a graduate of Southern Miss, Byrd earned his BS in Criminal Justice with a minor Forensic Science.  Upon graduation, Byrd started his career as a forensic scientist, serving seven years with the State Crime Laboratory in Jackson, Mississippi . 

During this time, he was able to develop an outstanding skill set and was subsequently offered a position as Criminal Investigator with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Forensics Laboratory in Montrose, Colorado .  Byrd accepted the position and soon after arriving in Colorado , he was awarded for his hard work by receiving the Award of Excellence twice and becoming the Lead Agent for the Montrose Regional Facility. 

After a successful four years with CBI, Byrd was presented with another exciting opportunity—a chance to launch a brand new forensics unit in Hattiesburg , Mississippi .  Seeing the excitement and value this unit would bring to his home state, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

Byrd now serves as Director of the South Mississippi Bureau of Forensic Services (BFS), a new forensics unit which launched earlier this year with the support of the Forrest County Sheriff’s Office, Lamar County Sheriff’s Office, Hattiesburg Police Department, Petal Police Department, Forrest General Department of Public Safety, the University of Southern Mississippi, 15th Judicial District DA’s Office, and the 21st Judicial District DA’s Office.  Byrd was appointed as Director of BFS near the end of June 2007, and brings his experience of over twelve years in Forensic Science to the Hattiesburg area.  His vision for BFS is ambitious—and his experience and leadership provides him the tools with which to achieve it. 

With the foundation of BFS now set, Byrd is ready to move forward in serving the Pine Belt with cutting-edge forensic technology.  “When I see an opportunity I jump on it.  What I see here is a tremendous opportunity where local Law Enforcement has come together with Forensic Science trying to provide a great service to its citizens.   Forensic Science is used to determine not the future, but the past.  There is evidence left behind at crime scenes that can link the criminal to the crime and we intend to find it.  The ultimate goal is to provide the district attorney’s with the evidence that they need to successfully prosecute the guilty and clear the innocent.”

For his excellence in Forensics Science, Byrd was awarded Distinguished Member Status by the International Association for Identification in 2007, 1 of 38 internationally.  In addition to his professional career in Forensics, Jon S. Byrd served in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) receiving an Honorable Discharge in 1998.  During his service with the USMC he was awarded with 2 Commendations and 1 Meritorious Mast 

Byrd resides with his wife and two children in Hattiesburg.  Contact him at 601-266-6034 or jon.byrd@usm.edu