Mold closes Philadelphia SVU office, other city offices

HUNTING PARK (WTXF) - A bit of a health scare at a Philadelphia police department office, in the form of mold along one wall of the Special Victims Unit in a building shared with other city offices. And, the head of the police union says the city isn't fixing the problem quickly enough.

"From what I understand, it's one wall where it's concentrated all the way across," said FOP President John McNesby.

Enough mold to vacate Department of Human Services and Philadelphia Children's Alliance offices, along with 75 officers, plus staff at Police Special Victims Unit.

"For their own safety, own health, they had to be evacuated," McNesby went on to say.

The sign says No Staff Allowed in Until Further Notice at the Department of Human Services. Police SVU is simply locked up tight.

"We just found out about it the other day when an officer was sick and in the hospital. They believe that was part of it. Now we're starting to uncover some more people saying they were sick," McNesby stated.

Just a few, but FOP President McNesby says one is too many and that a similar issue was just rectified in the 39th Police District building a couple of weeks ago.

"I don't think anybody is at fault here," McNesby added.

Unless, he says, there's foot-dragging on fixing it. That's where McNesby says the FOP has taken legal action to hold the city accountable in the past for deplorable working conditions at the 2nd and 15th District offices. But, he says the mold remediation here is up to a company the city is leasing the property from.

"We're gonna make sure, before anybody goes back in there to work, that it's safe. Do our own testing and hopefully we get together with the city and find a remedy with the owner," McNesby said.