LA's New Crime Deterrent? Bed Bugs

LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles has a nasty new crime deterrent: bed bugs.

The Los Angeles Police Department was forced to close down its Pacific station jail this week thanks to an infestation of the critters, the department announced Wednesday. The bugs were discovered Monday morning.

Exterminators will spray the facility Wednesday and re-inspect later to determine if a second spraying is necessary. On Thursday crews will go through the entire jail and vacuum the facility while also looking for any signs of additional bed bugs. The Pacific Jail will remain closed until Friday evening.

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The jail is located at 12312 Culver Blvd in Venice.

News of the jail closure comes only a few days after three LAPD officers were infected with a highly contagious staph infection after what a police union official says was an encounter with a homeless person at a police station.

The outbreak started sometime within the last week at the LAPD West Valley station in Reseda when officers arrested a transient who was brought to the station, which has since undergone cleaning of all surfaces to stop the MRSA from spreading. The three infected officers are on medical leave. All are expected to make a full recovery, according to the union, the Los Angeles Police Protective League.

MRSA -- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- is a highly contagious bacterium that is particularly hard to treat because it's resistant to some commonly used antibiotics.

City News Service contributed to this report.