Houston police and the The Harris County Prosecutor’s Office announced this week a change to the way evidence is stored and processed for criminal cases after a rodent infestation caused some problems.
Police Chief Noè Diaz announced during a press conference that the HPD noticed in October that the rats were involved consuming old marijuana in the evidence room.
“400,000 pounds of marijuana and storage and the rats are the only ones enjoying it,” said Houston Mayor John Whitmire.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire walks through the Houston Police Department evidence room. (Houston Police Department)
“Think about it, they’re drug addicted rats. They’re hard to deal with,” said Peter Stout, CEO of the Houston Forensic Science Center.
Whitmire says the overall problem is that so much evidence is being stored that it is no longer needed.
“The problem is that so much evidence is being preserved and stored that it is no longer needed; that has no influence on the solution to that problem. who are charged with conviction, or even that innocence,” he said during the press conference.
He further announced that they will work with the district attorney to ensure that the evidence is processed properly and that when it is no longer needed, there will be room for important property.
Police Chief Noè Diaz announced during a press conference that the HPD noticed the rats consuming old marijuana in the evidence room in October. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
HPD says it currently stores 1.2 million pieces of evidence and is no longer relevant.
Previously, evidence such as sticks, tennis rackets, bicycles and even rocks were sometimes kept for decades from cases that had been solved long ago.
They say a combination of communications and laws is the key to preventing the destruction of evidence in a timely manner.
They also said this has led to rats and mold building up in the evidence vault, risking contaminating new evidence.
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A Houston police cruiser with the department’s insignia. (Houston Police Department)
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“Now that this has come to light, I think you’re going to see a lot of pushback from the defense about the integrity of the evidence being used against the people they represent,” said Anthony Osso, a criminal defense attorney in Houston.
All narcotic 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.
The supporting documents will be kept indefinitely.
