WASHINGTON -- D.C. officials are calling for the development and full staffing of a district crime lab.

Officials want to invest more city money in the effort, but they also want the federal government to provide more resources. The District relies heavily upon the busy FBI crime lab for DNA testing. That means some cases face lengthy delays before test results are available.

Most major cities, including Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore have their own crime laboratories, News4 reported.

Two years ago, cold case squad investigators sent a DNA sample to the FBI's laboratory in connection with a 20-year-old murder and rape investigation. (Just recently), it proved a match to a District resident.

Mayor Anthony Williams said if the District had its own laboratory, it would put authorities in a better position to get results back more quickly.

The FBI handles only the most series cases. That means evidence from rapes where the victim survives an attack aren't likely to be sent to the federal facility.

D.C. Council member Kathy Patterson said that means unless a woman knows her attacker by name, it's unlikely that her rape case will be successfully prosecuted.

"If you are raped in the District of Columbia and if you can't tell police the name of the rapist, there is very little chance that crime will be solved," she said.

Community activists who've lost children to murder in the city said they shouldn't have to wait years to get a full service crime lab to help police find those responsible for their children's deaths.

Officials said the total cost of the project could top $200 million.