Microscopes are supposed to be tools for a crime lab. For Houston Police Department Crime Lab Director Irma Rios, the job has always been more like being under one.

11 News: How difficult have the last six months been for you?

Rios: “Oh, extremely difficult. That's all I can say really. It has been difficult."

The public microscope is always in focus. And when it comes to Houston’s crime lab, there’s been plenty to see.

Two internal affairs investigations, a criminalist accused of stealing drugs and then the crime lab’s section chief that handles DNA evidence forced to resign and two others disciplined for mishandling required proficiency testing.

Combine that with the stigma of the past troubles and you have a management challenge.

“We are trying to work through this. And it is going to take some time,” said Rios.

11 News: How is morale?

Rios: “Morale has been low. Obviously, the two (internal affairs) investigations, both of them hit us in the same month. It was tough.”

Those are the current problems, but you cannot avoid the past. The closure of the lab in 2002, thousands of cases retested and wrongly convicted men freed.

Since then, the city has worked not just get the lab back up and running, but to make it the best.

"If you don't learn from the past if you don't learn from your mistakes you are bound to repeat them,” said Houston police Chief Harold Hurtt said when the lab reopened.

The city has spent plenty too.

The Bromwich Report into the old lab’s troubles cost the city $5.1 million.

The new lab has received $3.4 million in grants for DNA testing, instruments, training and consultants.

The budget for the crime lab doubled.

All told, more than $10 million was spent to get the new DNA lab up and running.

Still, the lab is not testing all the cases that come to HPD.

"They estimate there are over 2,000 unsolved murders,” said Rios. “Can we do that? We can't. We are building up the lab.”

Breaking down the spending a little further 11 News discovered that in 2005, while the DNA section of the lab was closed, the city spent $725,704 on testing at three outside labs.

In 2006, the lab reopened in July. As you might expect the spending dropped considerably to $258,597.

But last year, with the new lab up and running, the city still spent $336,230.24 on outside testing. And so far this year, even before the lab shut down again, the city had spent $205,446.04.

"You can't just wave your hand and say the city is not going to do DNA testing,” said City Controller Anise Parker. “Our responsibility is to make sure that the DNA testing is available to both our law enforcement agencies and also to defendants out there who need that information.” 

"When you talk about the cost is concerned, the cost to not do what they are doing would be greater,” said defense attorney Rusty Hardin. He and Parker are members of the Crime Lab Stakeholder Committee.

Hardin said the crime lab is the biggest problem for most big police departments around the country. 

"It is a problem because public salaries do not attract immediately the people you want and can get in private industry,” said Hardin.

So, despite spending millions, it’s back to the beginning at HPD.

"Going forward I can tell you that we are being good stewards of the public's money,” said Rios. “And that we want that the work that is issued or reports that are issued are the best.

“And we make sure that it is right.”