Anne Kirkpatrick, superintendent of New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), said rats have been getting into the evidence room in the force’s headquarters and eating confiscated drugs, WWL-TV reports.

“The rats eating our marijuana, they’re all high,” she stated bluntly. Staff have also arrived at work to find rat droppings on their desks.

Ms Kirkpatrick said: “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… It’s going to impact morale, so that has been a big factor.”

The NOPD headquarters are also reportedly infested with cockroaches, have no functioning air conditioning and broken elevators.

New Orleans councillors have agreed to relocate the police headquarters to a new building this summer.