Houston police and the Harris County District Attorney's Office this week announced changes to the way they store and process evidence in criminal cases after problems with rodent infestations.
Police Chief Noe Diaz announced at a press conference that in October, HPD noticed a rat ingesting old marijuana in the evidence room.
“400,000 pounds of marijuana, storage, and the only people enjoying it are rats,” 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: These are drug-addicted rats. They're hard to deal with,” said Peter Stout, CEO of the Houston Forensic Science Center.
Whitmire said the overall problem is that so much evidence has been preserved that it is no longer needed.
“The problem is that so much evidence has been stored and archived that it is no longer needed. It has no effect on a conviction or even a verdict of not guilty,” he said at a press conference.
He went on to announce that he will work with prosecutors to ensure the evidence is disposed of appropriately and to make room for important assets when the evidence is no longer needed.
All roads 'lead to fentanyl': Drug abuse signs of progress with new support after police overwhelmed
Police Chief Noe Diaz announced at a press conference that in October, HPD noticed a rat in the evidence room ingesting old marijuana. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency, Getty Images)
HPD says 1.2 million pieces of evidence are currently in storage and are no longer relevant.
Previously, evidence such as sticks, tennis rackets, bicycles, and even rocks from cases solved long ago were kept, sometimes for decades.
They state that a combination of communication and law is the main factor in preventing the timely destruction of evidence.
He also said this could allow rodents and mold to build up in evidence lockers, risking contamination of new evidence.
Investigation underway after U.S. Marshals deputy shot in Houston
A Houston Police Department cruiser with the department's insignia. (Houston Police Department)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Now that this has come to light, defense attorneys will face significant backlash about the integrity of the evidence used against the people they represent,” said Anthony Osso, a Houston criminal defense attorney. Deaf,” he said.
All drug evidence obtained prior to 2015 will be removed from shelves and destroyed in collaboration with the Harris County District Attorney's Office and the Houston Forensic Science Center.
Records of evidence will be retained indefinitely.
