HOUSTON -- Hundreds of boxes of evidence were mislabeled and improperly stored in the Houston Police Department's Crime Lab, Chief Harold Hurtt told Local 2 Thursday.

About 280 boxes of evidence, dated from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, are involved.

The boxes were likely mislabeled during resubmissions to the property room from the crime lab, he said.

"Some of the things we found was a fetus that had been tagged and brought back, so those are the kind of things that we're finding. We found some other body parts from different homicide cases," said Capt. Mark Curran, with the Houston Police Department.

Named "Project 280," Hurtt ordered each box be opened and the contents inventoried, catalogued and linked to the appropriate case.

Officials have examined 5 percent of an estimated 8,000 cases that may have been improperly stored. In order to prevent cross-contamination or degradation, and to ensure proper documentation, the process is very methodical and deliberate, police said.

A staff is working on the project two shifts a day, seven days a week.

The entire process is expected to take about a year.

Hurtt called it a disturbing discovery.

"I think it's very significant in the fact that we don't know what we have in those boxes," Hurtt said. "What we know right now has happened because of poor work habits and sloppy efforts by some of the personnel within the crime lab."

"This is a gross violation and it is something that this police department will not tolerate," said Assistant Chief Vickie King, with the Houston Police Department.

Any leads are being sent to the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

"We'll just have to respond to it on a case-by-case basis and we're prepared to do that. And anything shows up that we previously filed some affidavits on, we'll have to correct it," District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal said.

"This is exactly what I asked the Chief to do -- a thorough review of issues related to forensic evidence and how we address them," Mayor Bill White said. "The chief got right on it and we're seeing the results. Our system of archiving evidence is unacceptable and he is addressing it. He has my full support and confidence."

The city shut the police department lab's DNA section in 2002 because of possible evidence contamination and improper employee training.

Houston's DNA section has remained closed since an audit revealed its analysts lacked training, insufficiently documented cases and may have allowed evidence to be exposed to contaminants. Hundreds of DNA cases where analysis originally performed by the police department have been undergoing retesting since March 2003.