NEW CRIME LAB HAS IT ALL - EXCEPT SCIENTISTS

The state's new crime lab in Sodo is expansive, filled with natural
light and room to examine evidence -- everything from bloodied
T-shirts to bullet-ridden windowpanes.

But there isn't enough money to fill it with forensic
scientists.

When the Seattle lab opened in December, state director Barry Logan
was happy to finally have room for a full staff. That's needed, he
said, to speed up work on new cases with suspects, reduce delays in
processing DNA samples and tackle more cold cases.

The positions aren't getting filled, but Logan is confident that he
will eventually prevail -- thanks in part to the lab's string of
success stories.

An employee's DNA work on saliva recently helped identify a suspect in
the murder of Seattle rocker Mia Zapata 10 years ago. Its ballistics
experts also traced the bullet trails of weapons used in the Trang Dai
mass murders in Tacoma, identifying five individual signatures of
firearms that eventually lead to the suspects. The lab, which has
processed tens of thousands of DNA samples from felons across
Washington, has also used its computers to crack 65 cold cases
involving major crimes.

They may not have the scientists to fill it, but staff members in
Seattle -- the state's largest crime lab and its headquarters -- are
happy to have a new lab and the facility design will help them work
faster.

Years ago, the Seattle lab's ballistics and document experts were
moved to other locations because of a lack of space. Scientists in the
dark, cramped quarters of the old public safety building often had to
wait for others to finish using a workspace before they had room to
examine their evidence.

Now, each scientist in the lab's DNA section has a stainless-steel
work area and dedicated laptop computer. But three of the work spaces
in the section are empty. Three more openings are in the chemistry
section, where scientists are kept hopping with requests to verify the
presence of illicit drugs.

Ray Kasumi, the lab's ballistics expert, has used some of his own
money to buy camera equipment and high-tech gadgets that the lab can't
afford.

George Chan, head of the lab's DNA section, said scientists jumped
when they heard that a high-tech company planned to sell some huge
centrifuges at bargain prices that the state could afford. They
desperately needed the centrifuges to process large pieces of
evidence. So a small group took a van across town and loaded the heavy
equipment themselves.

Salaries are another problem.

Even if the lab had been able to hold on to the money to hire new
scientists, it might not have been able to find qualified people to
work for the salaries it offers.

About a third of the lab's staff are trainees -- unable to do casework
without supervision. Because of its problems with recruiting, the lab
has begun to hire scientists with degrees but no experience.

Despite it all, Logan still expects results from his scientists, whose
progress is tracked monthly. To try to keep moving ahead in a time of
government cuts, Logan is seeking two grant proposals to augment his
$9.7 million budget. If they are approved, cold cases will get more
attention and the backlog in entering felon information -- involving
some 20,000 offenders -- will disappear.

If not, scientists say, they will just keep on doing what they've
always done: Making do with less.