07:18 AM CDT on Thursday, May 25, 2006

By Jeff McShan / 11 News

Click to watch video

Only 11 News has information on city buildings that seem to be falling apart.

KHOU-TV

Some HPD buildings are falling apart thanks to rust and mold.

They are buildings that house the Houston Police Department. 

Our cameras went inside and 11News found out why they are in such bad shape.

This is a story HPD would like for you to know.

It’s a story about their buildings that seem unfit to work in.

Sgt. Mike McCombs gave us a three-hour tour, starting at 61 Riesner Street.

Improvements began in one room, but “It’s on a hold right now because we have run out of money,” said Sgt. McCombs, “So wasted space here. You got wasted space. You also have old, old things. This is going to be kind of tight in here. You have an air-conditioning unit that is outdated.”

Leaking, rusted, and patched up with duct tape, it’s on its last leg.

Most of the air-conditioning units throughout the system are dead, dying, or just gone.

Next door, the air is working because the city is renting a unit for $7,000 a month.

But upstairs, “I would suggest you don’t use this handrail. It seems to be a little loose right now,” Sgt. McCombs said.

Up there, the roof is leaking.

“The reason we have mold on the third floor is the leakage down from the roof,” said Sgt. McCombs.

There is so much mold that some of the offices have to be locked up.

And the bathroom for patrol officers? A bad odor and lots of mold. 

“This is part of our problem,” said Sgt. McCombs, “I am glad we don’t have smell-vision.”

Sgt. McCombs says because it wasn’t maintained throughout the years, it has to be completely rebuilt.

That’s a common problem throughout.

Past administrations apparently were not looking ahead and now HPD is faced with a building crisis.

The police garage wasn’t regularly maintained and was eventually shut down.

Now it’s home to some of Houston’s homeless

And at 1200 Travis police headquarters, the elevator system is run by equipment so old people get stuck daily.  The bill to replace it would be more than $1 million.