Rats eat marijuana evidence at infested New Orleans police headquarters
FILE-A side-by-side image of a rat and New Orleans police officers. (Rat photo by AFP via Getty Images) (New Orleans police photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
A bizarre incident happened when a group of rats munched on marijuana seized inside an evidence room at an infested New Orleans police headquarters.
The old police building has been around since 1968 and Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick described rodent infestations in the facility. Cops have found rat droppings on their desks, and cockroaches are rampant, the Associated Press reported.
"The rats are eating our marijuana, they're all high," Kirkpatrick told New Orleans City Council members.
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According to the AP, the New Orleans city council is considering a proposal to spend $7.6 million on a 10-year lease to temporarily relocate the police headquarters to a high-rise building downtown.
Kirkpatrick tells the AP the rental agreement would give the police department time to plan for a permanent headquarters.
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The New Orleans Police Department pushed for a new headquarters before COVID-19, including a $37 million budget request in 2019. Kirkpatrick made it a primary focus after she became the city’s police chief in 2023, Nola.com reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.