The rats in the decaying New Orleans Police Department headquarters seem to be the only creatures enjoying the situation, officials revealed this week.
“The rats are indulging in our marijuana. They’re all high,” NOPD Chief Anne Kirkpatrick testified at a city Criminal Justice Committee meeting on Monday.
The deterioration of the building goes beyond just the evidence room. According to CBS affiliate WWL-TV, the NOPD headquarters on Broad Street is so infested with rats and roaches that staff often find rat droppings on their desks, Kirkpatrick said.
The building’s air conditioners are dysfunctional and its elevators are out of order, as reported by WWL-TV on Monday.
“When we say we value our employees, you can’t say that, and at the same time, allow people to work in conditions that are not acceptable,” Kirkpatrick expressed to the committee.
During Monday’s committee meeting, council members voted to approve a lease for a new building for the NOPD, as per WWL. The new 10-year lease will cost the city $670,000 per month, which is still more economical than the $30 million required to renovate the current headquarters, Gilbert Montano, the city’s chief administrative officer, informed WWL.
“Where you work, where you live, if it is not appropriate is going to always impact morale, so that has been a big factor,” Kirkpatrick stated to WWL after the meeting.
If the full council gives the green light to the new lease, the city’s police department will be rid of rats by this summer.
