NYC wants you to join the war on rats

NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – The City of New York wants you for its new Rat Pack.

Alongside the reigning rat czar, Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday announced a new battalion in the city’s ongoing war on rats: the Rat Pack. The pack will include volunteer citizens who undergo training to become experts on mitigation efforts in their communities.

“Let’s go out and kill some rats,” Adams said.

Volunteers will undergo a two-hour Department of Health Rat Academy training, join Rat Czar Kathleen Corradi on an educational walk, and participate in one NYC Service volunteer project. After the training, the recruits will don blue shirts and caps with an orange rat-busting insignia.

“The rat swag will be your badge of honor as you walk through your communities,” Adams said.

Citywide, 311 calls for rat sightings are slightly down this year as compared to the same period in 2023, city data shows. In July, rat sightings dropped 8% compared to the year before.

To join the Rat Pack, visit NYC Service’s website.

Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter from Los Angeles who has covered New York City since 2023. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here .

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