Credit P. Kenneth Burns / WYPR

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WYPR

Baltimore City officials announced they will nearly double the size of their rat-eradication team in hopes of ridding the city of the vermin.

The plan, announced during a news conference Wednesday, would expand from 8 to 15 the number of employees.

They would inject rat poison into every burrow in every one of the city’s 12,250 alleys every 20 days in hopes of wiping out the population.

The city will also create a new system to try to predict where rats are traveling and adjust where rat catchers are needed based on calls to 311.

“The key is we have performance measures that measures whether we’re succeed or failing in terms of our mission,” said Public Works Director Rudy Chow, ”The mayor is going to be requiring of us having results.”

Chow also said residents need to do their part to keep food sources away from rats by using trash cans with lids rather than setting out trash bags by themselves and by picking up after their pets.

Public works will still respond to 311 calls.  The program, which began as a pilot in October, will be evaluated after a year.

*An earlier version said the program would begin early next year.  It has been corrected

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