NOPD Headquarters remains closed to the public as the heat inside of the building mimics the outside temperatures. According to City Council President JP Morrell, the air conditioner has been out for almost a month. Council members say there are also issues with the HVAC at the Fifth and Sixth districts.
At a City Council budget meeting Tuesday, Morrell said there should be temporary fixes in place for these types of situations.
“We have a lot of buildings with a lot of archaic systems. If they go down in the summer we need to have immediate emergency response plans to keep them functional while we find that final resolution because NOPD headquarters being without HVAC for a month is unacceptable,” Morrell said.
The city’s head of Property Management, Natesh Mohan, said they did try to find a quick fix.
“We ordered 45 temporary ACs about a month ago. They all got deployed within two weeks then I said order 45 more,[contractor put a] credit hold on the city,” Mohan said.
According to Mohan and multiple council members, city departments have numerous past due invoices with contractors, even though the city code says contractors must be paid within 30 days.
“Right now we’re kind of out of control with the credit card, where we’re not paying our old bills but we’re buying new stuff,” Morrell said.
Many are now demanding the situation at headquarters be fixed as soon as possible as it’s become a matter of public safety.
“The central evidence and property room has some air condition issues and their moving sensitive DNA evidence to a more secure location in case in order to ensure the integrity of evidence is maintained. It’s not good for the public, It’s not good for the officer,s it’s not good for morale and it needs to be addressed,” Eric Hessler, lawyer for the Police Association of New Orleans said.