Marijuana-munching rats infiltrate police HQ in beloved party city, chief warns: ‘They’re all high'
Rats have infiltrated the New Orleans Police Department's deteriorating headquarters, breaking into the evidence room and getting "high" on marijuana, a police official said this week.
"The rats are eating our marijuana. They're all high," Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department Anne Kirkpatrick told council members Monday at a Criminal Justice Committee meeting, according to WWL Louisiana.
Joining the rats, the building is also home to a cockroach infestation, mold, no air conditioning, and elevators and bathrooms that don't function properly, the superintendent added.
Kirkpatrick's comments come just weeks after New Orleans, considered one of America's top tourist and party cities, welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors for Mardi Gras.
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Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick walks with The Mystic Krewe of Barkus parade in the French Quarter during Mardi Gras on Feb. 4, 2024, in New Orleans. (Erika Goldring/Getty Images)
"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 said.
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Along with rats, the building is also home to a cockroach infestation, mold, no air conditioning, and elevators and bathrooms that don't function properly, the superintendent added. (AFP via Getty Images)
Kirkpatrick noted that dirty work conditions can lower morale, which has been an issue for NOPD in recent years as the department struggles with record staffing issues following the defund the police movement of 2020.
"Where you work, where you live is not appropriate, tt's going to impact morale, so that has been a big factor," she said.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell arrives by horseback at the reviewing stand at Gallier Hall as the 1,500 riders of the Krewe of Zulu roll down St. Charles Avenue for Mardi Gras on March 1, 2022, in New Orleans. (Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)
Kirkpatrick added that staffers sometimes come into work and find rat droppings on their desks.
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The New Orleans Police Department's headquarters (Google Maps)
City leaders hashed out a plan Monday to approve a lease for a new building, located across the street from the Caesars Superdome, for the next 10 years. The lease and move must still go to a full city council vote for final approval, WWL Louisiana reported.
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The new lease is anticipated to cost roughly $670,000 a year, in addition to an estimated $300,000 to actually move personnel to the new location. The police department is hoping to move into the new location in May.
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