Houston crime lab: Texas; Bulletin; When you thought that everything that could go wrong has gone wrong - look again. The Houston Chronicle reports that more than 4,200 criminal cases involving 15,000 pieces of evidence may have been compromised after a sprinkler "malfunctioned' in the Houston Police Department's property room. Tyler Flood, president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, said Thursday that defense lawyers in the organization have been given unofficial estimates by prosecutors overseeing some of the cases that may be affected. "It could really affect a lot of cases," Flood said. "It's an administrative nightmare for the DA's office." Authorities Thursday would not confirm those numbers, saying the clean-up is ongoing and official estimates would not be available for days. "At this time we have no comment other than we have made the defense bar and the public defender's office aware of the situation," said Jeff McShan, spokesman for the district attorney's office. The office is working with the Houston Police Department to get the situation under control, said acting Police Chief Martha Montalvo."..."Montalvo said property room technicians are being aided by lab workers with the Houston Forensic Science Center to ensure evidence is handled properly and to repackage everything that was affected. "Until all affected items are opened and inspected, there is no determination if any evidence has or has not been compromised," Montalvo said. The Houston Forensic Science Center is an independent crime lab that was created in the wake of widespread problems with HPD's crime lab. Ramit Plushnick-Masti, a spokeswoman for the independent agency, said lab workers were invited in to help clean up and ensure that evidence is not cross-contaminated. Evidence in criminal cases has to adhere to a strict chain of custody to be admissible in court, and the HFSC lab workers would be qualified to maintain that chain. The disclosure comes on the heels of several evidence room snafus lately that have spurred talks of a centralized evidence room for all of the law enforcement agencies across Harris County. Last month saw public revelations that deputies at the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office improperly destroyed more than 20,000 pieces of evidence, forcing the district attorney's office to dismiss more than 150 pending criminal cases and potentially endangering more than 1,000 others. The mess, which began with deputies trying to clean out a stuffed property room, has prompted District Attorney Devon Anderson to call for a central depository for evidence." Reporter Brian Rogers. October 20, 2016.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Tyler Flood, president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, said Thursday that defense lawyers in the organization have been given unofficial estimates by prosecutors overseeing some of the cases that may be affected. "It could really affect a lot of cases," Flood said. "It's an administrative nightmare for the DA's office.""

STORY:"Thousands of criminal cases under review after latest evidence problems surface, by reporter Brian Rogers, published by The Houston Chronical on October 20, 2016. (Thanks to The Wrongful Conviction Blog for bringing this story to our attention. HL.)

GIST: More than 4,200 criminal cases involving 15,000 pieces of evidence may have been compromised after a sprinkler malfunctioned Tuesday in the Houston Police Department's property room, according to Houston's criminal defense bar. Tyler Flood, president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, said Thursday that defense lawyers in the organization have been given unofficial estimates by prosecutors overseeing some of the cases that may be affected  "It could really affect a lot of cases," Flood said. "It's an administrative nightmare for the DA's office." Authorities Thursday would not confirm those numbers, saying the clean-up is ongoing and official estimates would not be available for days. "At this time we have no comment other than we have made the defense bar and the public defender's office aware of the situation," said Jeff McShan, spokesman for the district attorney's office. The office is working with the Houston Police Department to get the situation under control, said acting Police Chief Martha Montalvo. "At about 12:15 p.m. (Tuesday), HPD Property Room commanders were advised of a sprinkler malfunction confined to a relatively small area in the property room freezer, which caused water damage to some cardboard boxes and envelopes that contain evidence," Montalvo said in a statement. "Most of the evidence is contained in a Ziplock bag or plastic container placed inside a box or envelope for storage." Montalvo said property room technicians are being aided by lab workers with the Houston Forensic Science Center to ensure evidence is handled properly and to repackage everything that was affected. "Until all affected items are opened and inspected, there is no determination if any evidence has or has not been compromised," Montalvo said. The Houston Forensic Science Center is an independent crime lab that was created in the wake of widespread problems with HPD's crime lab. Ramit Plushnick-Masti, a spokeswoman for the independent agency, said lab workers were invited in to help clean up and ensure that evidence is not cross-contaminated. Evidence in criminal cases has to adhere to a strict chain of custody to be admissible in court, and the HFSC lab workers would be qualified to maintain that chain. The disclosure comes on the heels of several evidence room snafus lately that have spurred talks of a centralized evidence room for all of the law enforcement agencies across Harris County. Last month saw public revelations that deputies at the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office improperly destroyed more than 20,000 pieces of evidence, forcing the district attorney's office to dismiss more than 150 pending criminal cases and potentially endangering more than 1,000 others."
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Thousands-of-criminal-cases-under-review-after-9989250.php