Houston police and Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced this week changes to the way evidence is stored and processed for criminal cases after a rodent infestation caused problems.
Police Chief Noè Diaz announced at a press conference that HPD noticed rats in October consuming old marijuana in the property evidence room.
“400,000 pounds of marijuana and warehouses and rats are the only ones enjoying it,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire walks through the evidence room at the Houston Police Department. (Houston Police Department)
“Think about it, they’re drug-addicted rats. They’re hard to deal with,” said Peter Stout, executive director of the Houston Forensic Science Center.
Whitmire says the overall problem is that so much evidence has been stored that it’s no longer needed.
“The problem is that so much evidence is kept and stored that it is no longer needed; it has no bearing on the resolution of it collect that conviction, or even that innocence,” he said at a press conference.
He went on to announce that they will work with the prosecution to ensure that the evidence is handled properly and if it is no longer needed, there will be room for assets that are important.
Police Chief Noè Diaz announced at a press conference that in October, HPD noticed rats consuming old marijuana in the evidence room. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
HPD says it currently stores 1.2 million pieces of evidence that are no longer relevant.
Prior to this, evidence such as bats, tennis rackets, bicycles and even rocks were kept, sometimes for decades, from cases that had long been solved.
They say that the combination of communication and the law is the main source that prevents the timely destruction of evidence.
They also said it caused rats and mold to build up in the evidence cabinet, putting new evidence at risk of contamination.
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Houston police cruiser with department markings. (Houston Police Department)
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“Now that this has come to light, I think you’re going to see a lot of opposition from the defense about the integrity of the evidence used against the people they’re representing,” said Anthony Osso, a Houston criminal defense attorney.
All narcotics evidence obtained prior to 2015 will be removed from shelves and destroyed with the cooperation of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and the Houston Forensic Science Center.
Evidence records will be kept indefinitely.
