The New Rochelle, New York police department has a new kind of criminal to deal with: bed bugs. The blood sucking critters have infested patrol cars and jail cells, according to the local newspaper The Journal News.

The jail’s tenants have been complaining about bed bugs for weeks. While none of the cells have mattresses, the bugs were uncharacteristically found crawling all over the floors. The police department called in an inspector who quarantined the jail for three days. Unfortunately for the department, it didn’t end there. Bed bugs were found in three separate squad cars used by three different officers, revealing the true extent of the problem.

Luckily, for the police department and the city of New Rochelle, there isn’t much else going on as far as criminal activity goes. There’s plenty of time to handle the infestation.

Brian Humphries experienced such a bad bed bug infestation in his Denver, Colorado, apartment that he was able to fill a quart-sized Ziploc bag. He shared the evidence with his landlord who took two weeks to address the problem. According to Humphries, the problem never went away.

Five months later, Jackie Howe moved into the same complex, also suffering an infestation. She claims that she was never told of the preexisting problem—the Denver Environmental Health department had three complaints from that complex prior to her moving in.

The complex is run by Shockcor, Inc., which owns and maintains many properties in the Denver Metro area. Well, it looks like Shockcor is in for a shocker—the Denver Daily News is all over the story.

The summer is back, as we’ve already mentioned several times during the past two weeks, but we’ve taken little time to talk about how that effects your risk of bed bug infestation. Have any travel plans? Well, these unwelcome travelers can very easily find their way from your hotel room to your luggage to your home if you don’t take some precautions.

Here are some tips we stumbled upon on the Web:

• Survey for signs of an infestation, such as dark brown or red spots on sheets.
• Lift and look for all bed bug hiding spots, including the mattress, headboard and furniture. Bed bugs are nocturnal and tend to hide near their food source—you!
• Elevate your belongings on a luggage rack away from the bed and wall, where bed bugs often hide behind headboards, picture frames and electrical outlet panels.
• Examine your luggage while repacking and when you return home. Remember, bed bugs are only 3/16 of an inch and can easily fit in cracks and crevices.
• Professionals can treat these resilient pests, which are extremely difficult to kill and can survive extreme temperatures.

Looks like the bed bug infestation at the Fox headquarters that we reported on a while back has led to at least one lawsuit. A 12-year veteran has filed a suit after she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome as a result of the infestation.

Jane Clark has not been able to work “after suffering emotional distress due to a continuous and ongoing bed bug problem at work,” says her lawyers. She filed a suit against the building manager, Beacon Capital, the maintenance company, Triangle Services, as well as a separate workers compensation suit against News Corp., Fox’s umbrella company.

Travel season is upon us, so time to brush up on your bed bug-avoidance knowledge. Here’s a great article from an ABC affiliate that explains how to avoid carrying bed bugs from your hotel to your home.

How to Avoid Bed Bugs in Hotels

Well, unfortunately for you we found the Bed Bug Central YouTube page and came across a slightly revolting video clip of a bed bug digesting blood. In bad taste? Don’t think so. It might be just what you need to get your butt in gear and start bed bug-proofing your home.

And for your viewing (dis)pleasure: A bed bug digesting a blood meal.

Owners of the Tropicana hotel in Las Vegas put a Las Vegas-spin on the extermination of their current infestation—they’re offering $25 per each bed bug brought in alive. A flyer posted in the housekeeping office announced the bounty, and reminds housekeepers to “Check every room—every day.” The flyers share some pictures of the wanted insects.

Congratulations Tropicana, for making post-DDT bed bug extermination fun again.

Waikiki Beach in Oahu, Hawaii is suffering a bed bug epidemic. Everywhere, from hotels, care homes, theaters and hospitals, have reported infestations. Now, even the local prison reports an infestation.

The bed bug problem at Halawa Correctional Facility is so bad that one officer reports that he’s heard talk of one wing being closed down entirely. Four reports were filed with the Department of Public Safety, and an exterminator was contacted each time. Still, the infestation rages on, and the facility’s employees are getting restless. Many are seeking worker’s compensation.

Strangely, the Department of Public Safety claims that they’ve never received complaints from Halawa, or any other correctional facility, for that matter.

Fox News had some bad news to report on March 18. Their Midtown Manhattan newsroom is infested with bed bugs! According to an article in the NY Times, the network recognized the problem a few weeks ago when they identified a bug that an employee caught as being a bed bug. Reportedly, the infestation stemmed from one employees home infestation. After an exterminator investigated nearly 20 different employee homes, he described one as having “the worse infestation he had seen in 25 years in the business.”

The infestation at NBC was brought under control after employees were given bags to store their personal belonging, and some fabric-covered desk chairs were replaced. According to the exterminator, the bugs have been “totally eradicated.”