Eleven months after a public information request was first submitted, HPD released the materials to ABC13. The video and images show rats in the drug vault on the 25th floor of police headquarters, along with the mess they left behind.
One of the photos captured a particularly large rat, prompting one email recipient to comment, "That rat is huge." The infestation drew public jokes at the time, including from the mayor, who noted that "400,000 pounds of marijuana" were in storage and "the rats are the only ones enjoying" it.
But behind the scenes, the district attorney's office was required to notify hundreds of defense attorneys about possible compromised evidence. Internal emails show the issue first surfaced on October 29, 2024, with the subject line simply reading "rat infestation."
Six weeks later, on December 16, emails show the situation had worsened. One employee wrote that rats were "knocking over and tearing open evidence" and had moved into a new area of the vault.
"I am not sure what to do at this point," the email read. Other emails show employees were worried rats might migrate in search of more food.
According to the emails ABC13 obtained from HPD, more than 81,000 items were being stored in the vault at the time, nearly 12,000 of which contained marijuana or THC products. Despite cleanup efforts, one message reported officers had recently "observed five rats scattering."
Police Chief Noe Diaz previously said the rats had mainly targeted older drug evidence stored alongside newer materials. He did not explain how rats would distinguish between the two.
Records show some evidence dated back to 1984. At a news conference in January, officials said they planned to start destroying thousands of pounds of aging marijuana to reduce the volume of stored material.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said that the department would be "destroying any narcotics evidence obtained prior to 2015."
This week, HPD declined an interview request to discuss the current condition of the vault but assured Eyewitness News that corrective measures have been implemented and that the department is not aware of ongoing issues.
The DA's office previously sent notifications to defense attorneys on 3,600 active cases.
According to the office, the rats compromised evidence in only one case, involving two defendants, in which rats ate some psychedelic mushrooms.
HPD reports that three large-scale drug burns have taken place over the past year, reducing the volume of stored drugs and possibly the rat population as well.