New Orleans, Louisiana is facing an unusual challenge as rats have invaded the police headquarters and feasted on confiscated marijuana, leaving the law enforcement officials concerned about the impact on criminal cases. Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick stated during a council committee meeting that the building is infested with rodents, leading to a request for relocating the headquarters to new premises.
According to Kirkpatrick, the current police headquarters, a decrepit mid-city criminal justice building built in 1968, is no longer suitable for the department’s operations. In addition to the rat infestation, the building suffers from cockroach infestations, maintenance issues such as broken elevators and plumbing, and a faulty air conditioning system that incurred a hefty repair bill.
The rats managing to break into the evidence room and consume the confiscated marijuana pose a significant concern for the department due to the potential implications on ongoing criminal investigations. To address the dire conditions, the city’s criminal justice committee approved a motion for the department to secure a 10-year lease on two floors of a downtown office building, pending a full council vote in the following weeks.
City officials acknowledge that the police department is a priority case, with plans to leave behind other tenants of the aging criminal justice building for the time being. Gilbert Montaño, the chief administrative officer, expressed the need to temporarily relocate most of the criminal justice agencies while addressing the deteriorating conditions of the current premises.
This incident of rats targeting confiscated drugs is not the first of its kind, with past cases reported in India and Argentina, where rodents consumed large quantities of marijuana stored in police warehouses. The move to new premises aims to provide a cleaner and more functional environment for law enforcement officials, ensuring the integrity of evidence and maintaining a professional working space amidst such unusual challenges.