COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- A refrigerator used to store evidence, like blood, urine and semen, malfunctioned in December, and investigators are trying to determine if evidence was ruined, police said Wednesday.

The Colorado Springs Police Department said it has notified the district attorney's office about the failure, which happened in early December, according to KKTV.

About 235 pieces of evidence were being stored in the refrigerator when an evidence technician first noticed it was not cooling properly on Dec. 7, according to KKTV.

The evidence will be tested to determine if it is still viable.

The items were moved after the technician reported the refrigerator failure. Police said the refrigerator last had been entered on Dec. 3 and was functioning properly at that time.

An "unforeseeable mechanical failure" caused the temperature controller to malfunction, police said. It has since been repaired.

Police have provided the District Attorney's Office with a list of evidence storied in the freezer.

The department also found some items being stored did not need refrigeration, and police are reviewing what should be kept in cold storage, KKTV reported.

Police also are looking at whether the department's budget will allow for temperature-monitoring devices that would alert them of another failure in the future. In the meantime, members from the Evidence Section will be manually checking the refrigerators each day to make sure they're working correctly.