HOUSTON, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- The fingerprinting comparison unit of the Houston Police Department is facing a criminal investigation, a police official said.
Houston police Executive Assistant Chief Tim Oettmeier said Wednesday the investigation began after an audit resulted in accusations of questionable evidence work by the police unit, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Oettmeier said in the wake of the audit, which concluded in October, a police department employee was accused of misconduct involving evidence and was placed on administrative leave with pay. Oettmeier did not offer specifics regarding the allegations or the employee's identity.
Irregularities were found in more than 50 percent of the 548 randomly selected cases examined in the audit. All of the cases involved fingerprint analysis conducted by the police department unit.
Houston Mayor Bill White said such "unacceptable" irregularities may have resulted in some criminals escaping justice, the Chronicle reported.
"I think it's unacceptable the quality of work the chief and the command staff found in the fingerprint unit," White said at a news conference Wednesday.
