Posted on 08/21/2002 9:49:13 AM PDT by Printers Angel
The officers from the 6th Precinct approached the dwelling at 1122 E. Hildreth Ave. with caution.
Someone had called that the front door was open. Who was inside? A dope-crazed assailant or some other dangerous individual?
The three officers searched the two-story dwelling just after noon. Except for a dead dog, they found the place to be abandoned and left.
"But when they walked out, that's when they noticed thousands of them on them,'' said Sgt. Marc Dopp.
Fleas.
The infestation would spread yesterday to five officers and five police cars and close the precinct substation for more than nine hours.
The officers told colleagues the pests swarmed them and began biting when they returned to their police cars.
"He sat down in the car and said it looked like his pants were moving,'' Officer James Yoder said of a fellow officer.
None of the affected officers could be reached last night. But they told colleagues they endured a gnawing attack for the mile drive back to the substation at 1475 Granville St. There, the fleas spread to two other officers -- everyone on that shift except for the sergeant was affected -- and five patrol cars.
The officers were taken to nearby University Hospitals East. There they endured a vigorous scrubbing down with a special soap.
"It was quite intense from what I understand,'' Yoder said.
Police Division officials decided to close the substation, which last night was encircled with yellow police tape. A hand-written sign stated: "Do Not Enter Infested With Fleas.''
"It's an unusual circumstance for someone to transport that many fleas,'' said Lt. Mark Gray, who was briefed on the station closing last night.
Mike McCarthy, of Torco/PestFree, fumigated the police cars just before 8 p.m. In his 28-year career, the exterminator said, he'd never been dispatched on such an assignment.
Sgt. Dopp said he and his five officers on a later shift would work from their cars until another exterminator could be called to spray the substation's interior.
"I wish I could have been here to see it, to be honest,'' Dopp said, "to see the circus going on.''
Didn't anyone notice that on the door it said:
hIlLaRy wuZ hErE!!!
???
Can't stand them. : )
I don't think these cops are too bright.taking their fleas back to the station. I'd have had my clothes off, and hosed myself off at a carwash, or at the very least stopped at a gas staion and rubbed myself down with some gas first.
No, Federal Law Enforcement Agencies. (FLEAs)
dan
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