Meet Gene Bernal, Evidence Manager at the Orange County Sheriff's Office. The Evidence Unit oversees more than 500,000 pieces of evidence at a warehouse in Orange County.

Gene took us on a tour of the facility today. Every month, the Evidence Warehouse takes in more than 7,000 pieces of evidence. All of it is cataloged.

Some of the evidence is related to a crime and kept until a trial, meaning it may be stored for months or years.

Other pieces of evidence, such as found property like these backpacks, are held until an owner claims it. If evidence isn't claimed after a certain period of time, it is typically destroyed.

Televisions, tires, computers....it can all end up in the Evidence Warehouse. There's even a walk-in cooler for items such as blood and bodily fluids.

Bicycles are found quite often and stored at the warehouse. While some are evidence in a crime, others are found property. Many bikes will be donated to local nonprofits.

Seized firearms, drugs, jewelry and evidence from homicides are stored in secure areas.

These boxes date back to 1972 and contain evidence from homicides. These boxes are kept indefinitely for the Cold Case Unit. The oldest piece of evidence from a homicide dates back to 1946.

Large items that don't fit on shelves, such as beds, chairs and even a wheelbarrow, are stored upstairs.

These doors are evidence in a crime. Some date back to the early 1990s.

Evidence Manager Gene Bernal will talk more about the Evidence Warehouse on the next episode of Behind the Star, the official podcast of OCSO.