15,000 Pieces of Evidence Damaged at the Houston Police Department

The Houston Police Department is reviewing thousands of pieces of evidence after a sprinkler mishap on Tuesday. Officials stated that thousands of evidentiary items have been affected and linked to over 4,000 cases. This has caused local defense attorneys to assess their cases for compromised evidence. Tyler Flood who manages Tyler Flood & Associates, Inc. gave a statement “It could really affect a lot of cases. It’s an administrative nightmare for the DA’s office.” The District Attorney’s Office is working in conjunction with the Houston Police Department to identify all cases with compromised evidence. The majority of evidence was in a relatively small area in the property room freezer, which usually carries biological samples such as blood tests for DWI. Officials have gone on to state most of the evidence affected was contained in ziplock bags or plastic containers. This isn’t the only time HPD has lost evidence. The Department faced backlash after 20,000 pieces of evidence were destroyed in Precinct 4 Constable’s Office. The recent issues has spurred talks of a centralized evidence room for all law enforcement agencies in Harris County.