Rats have gotten into the confiscated marijuana at the vermin-infested and decaying New Orleans Police Department headquarters, the city's top cop warned.
"I want you to see the tray of all of the roaches, major rodents on the floor, the cockroaches, the rats eating our marijuana. They're all high," Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told the Criminal Justice Committee on Monday about the evidence room.
The current department headquarters houses substandard facilities with broken air conditioners and elevators. Officers "have nowhere to use a restroom," according to Kirkpatrick.
"We all know the facilities have been rundown," Councilmember and Criminal Justice Committee Chair Oliver Thomas told NBC News affiliate WDSU. "Last year, it was so hot that we had to close the buildings. Sometimes it’s so cold that our officers and the rank at headquarters can’t even occupy the building.”
The deplorable conditions date back to 2008, according to the WDSU investigative team. In the latest 2017 report, photos from inside the facility show snakes, rodents, possums and possible mold.
“The uncleanliness is off the charts,” Kirkpatrick said Monday, and the janitors “deserve an award for trying to clean what is uncleanable.”
A proposal has been put forward to spend $7.6 million on a 10-year lease to temporarily relocate the police headquarters to two floors in a downtown building. Other criminal justice agencies may soon need to follow suit.
"I imagine you’re going to see similar situations where we may have to temporarily lease space as we eventually build a finalization for the future,” Chief Administrative Officer Gilbert Montano said during the meeting.
The Criminal Justice Committee voted in favor of advancing the leasing proposal to the full City Council for a final decision.