WEBVTT NOTE duration:"00:02:25.0880000" NOTE recognizability:0.823 NOTE language:en-us NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:02.870 --> 00:00:05.285 We called in some assistance because we NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:05.285 --> 00:00:08.275 didn't know who was here and I think you NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:08.275 --> 00:00:10.550 saw that contingent. We had the SWAT NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:10.550 --> 00:00:12.818 team out here more than two dozen NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:12.818 --> 00:00:14.498 NYPD officers converged on the NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:14.498 --> 00:00:16.442 temporary home of the city's municipal NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:16.442 --> 00:00:18.229 and traffic court this morning. NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:18.230 --> 00:00:20.090 We learned last night the building NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:20.090 --> 00:00:22.110 would be closed because of severe NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:22.110 --> 00:00:23.905 roof damage and hazardous conditions, NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:23.910 --> 00:00:25.920 and today authorities moved in well. NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:26.919 Look, they cleared NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:26.920 --> 00:00:28.645 the old VA hospital building NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:28.645 --> 00:00:30.370 after someone stealing pipes and. NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:30.370 --> 00:00:31.876 Water flowing down an elevator shaft. NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:31.880 --> 00:00:32.597 Paul Murphy reports. NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:32.597 --> 00:00:34.582 The city is now in the process of NOTE Confidence: 0.7758781 00:00:34.582 --> 00:00:35.907 trying to secure that building. NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:00:36.660 --> 00:00:38.755 The New Orleans Police Department NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:00:38.755 --> 00:00:40.431 Special Operations Division and NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:00:40.431 --> 00:00:42.274 officers from the 8th district went NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:00:42.274 --> 00:00:44.599 floor by floor in the old VA hospital, NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:46.325 looking for vagrants and people NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:00:46.325 --> 00:00:48.050 salvaging pipes and copper wires. NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:00:48.050 --> 00:00:48.740 Property management NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:00:48.740 --> 00:00:50.945 went up there to the 8th floor NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:00:50.945 --> 00:00:53.219 and found it to be barricaded. NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:00:53.220 --> 00:00:54.960 They believe that some water NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:00:54.960 --> 00:00:57.020 main pipes might have been cut, NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:00:57.020 --> 00:00:59.090 leaving a flood all the way NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:00:59.090 --> 00:01:01.160 down to the elevator. The city's NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:01:01.160 --> 00:01:02.820 municipal and traffic court now NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:01:02.820 --> 00:01:05.300 occupies the 1st floor of the building. NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:01:05.300 --> 00:01:07.100 The court moved there temporarily. NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:01:07.100 --> 00:01:08.510 In October, after Hurricane Ida NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:01:08.510 --> 00:01:09.920 damaged the South Broad Street NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:01:09.970 --> 00:01:11.610 Courthouse near police headquarters, NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:01:11.610 --> 00:01:13.434 Judge Mark Shea says they were NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:01:13.434 --> 00:01:15.392 forced to close up on Friday NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:01:15.392 --> 00:01:17.077 because of the water damage. NOTE Confidence: 0.8316328 00:01:17.080 --> 00:01:17.730 We're afraid NOTE Confidence: 0.85197324 00:01:17.730 --> 00:01:19.656 that somebody was gonna get electrocuted, NOTE Confidence: 0.85197324 00:01:19.660 --> 00:01:21.746 so we we immediately closed and then NOTE Confidence: 0.85197324 00:01:21.746 --> 00:01:24.709 then we did a walk through and we found a NOTE Confidence: 0.85197324 00:01:24.709 --> 00:01:27.058 sawzall and some some cutting equipment. NOTE Confidence: 0.85197324 00:01:27.060 --> 00:01:29.643 So we we believe in that they they were NOTE Confidence: 0.85197324 00:01:29.643 --> 00:01:32.537 they were cutting pipes in the upper stories NOTE Confidence: 0.85197324 00:01:32.540 --> 00:01:34.150 about 25 to 30 officers NOTE Confidence: 0.85197324 00:01:34.150 --> 00:01:35.438 participated in the sweep. NOTE Confidence: 0.85197324 00:01:35.440 --> 00:01:37.486 We saw them escort one man. NOTE Confidence: 0.85197324 00:01:37.490 --> 00:01:38.378 From the building. NOTE Confidence: 0.82332844 00:01:38.380 --> 00:01:40.168 So far we've only located one, NOTE Confidence: 0.82332844 00:01:40.170 --> 00:01:41.982 but there are there is evidence NOTE Confidence: 0.82332844 00:01:41.982 --> 00:01:43.749 that people are living in there, NOTE Confidence: 0.82332844 00:01:43.750 --> 00:01:46.094 so our main job is to make sure NOTE Confidence: 0.82332844 00:01:46.094 --> 00:01:47.928 they're not in there so that NOTE Confidence: 0.82332844 00:01:47.928 --> 00:01:49.408 they can, you know, repair NOTE Confidence: 0.82332844 00:01:49.410 --> 00:01:51.300 the building. Judge Shea confirms they've NOTE Confidence: 0.82332844 00:01:51.300 --> 00:01:53.280 had problems with copper thieves in the NOTE Confidence: 0.82332844 00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:54.770 building. The contractor said there NOTE Confidence: 0.82332844 00:01:54.770 --> 00:01:56.560 are some issues with the roof, NOTE Confidence: 0.82332844 00:01:56.560 --> 00:01:58.288 but we've had serious rains before NOTE Confidence: 0.82332844 00:01:58.288 --> 00:02:00.440 yesterday and we've had no water cascading, NOTE Confidence: 0.82332844 00:02:00.440 --> 00:02:02.216 so our belief is and based on on NOTE Confidence: 0.82332844 00:02:02.216 --> 00:02:04.219 the the tools that we found that NOTE Confidence: 0.82332844 00:02:04.219 --> 00:02:06.199 there are removing copper and that's NOTE Confidence: 0.82332844 00:02:06.199 --> 00:02:07.887 that's what happened yesterday. NOTE Confidence: 0.8434387 00:02:08.020 --> 00:02:09.468 NYPD officers completed their NOTE Confidence: 0.8434387 00:02:09.468 --> 00:02:10.916 sweep shortly before noon. NOTE Confidence: 0.8434387 00:02:10.920 --> 00:02:13.494 Judge Shea said that he expects NOTE Confidence: 0.8434387 00:02:13.494 --> 00:02:15.210 municipal and traffic court NOTE Confidence: 0.8434387 00:02:15.285 --> 00:02:17.010 to reopen on Monday. Paul NOTE Confidence: 0.87106854 00:02:17.010 --> 00:02:18.370 Murphy, Eyewitness News the New NOTE Confidence: 0.87106854 00:02:18.370 --> 00:02:19.755 Orleans property management team is NOTE Confidence: 0.87106854 00:02:19.755 --> 00:02:21.743 now expected to fix all the broken NOTE Confidence: 0.87106854 00:02:21.743 --> 00:02:23.405 windows and doors where the vagrants NOTE Confidence: 0.87106854 00:02:23.405 --> 00:02:25.087 are getting into the building well.