Inside the basement evidence rooms, holes have been cut out of the ceiling because the plumbing system is falling apart. The pipes clog and water and sewage can flood. Inside one room, a piece of plastic hangs over boxes of evidence. The plastic sheeting cascades into a garbage can that collects the water.

"We have buckets all over the place, so when it starts, we grab them," said Ruth Ogletree, the supervisor of the evidence unit. "We have great big rolls of plastic, so when we notice it's going, we hurry and grab boxes and move them."

The police department has not lost any evidence to flooding, but Ogletree said they have had to repackage some of it when the boxes get wet. "Luckily, it hasn't been any major cases yet," she said.

Floor to ceiling, wall to wall, evidence is stuffed wherever there is an inch of room. It isn't just that the building is falling apart — the department has run out of space.

The robbery-assault unit is in a room designed for four people. Currently, nine detectives try to squeeze inside. A police interview room doubles as a storage closet.

Walls have been put up or moved to accommodate the needs of the department. Until a couple of weeks ago, Ann Thomson had a fluorescent light above her that was half in her boss's office.

"It's a good old building, but here I have no air conditioning and I have no heat because of all these walls," she said.

Thomson, the drugs and vice division secretary, brought in a space heater and a fan, and those will sometimes trip a circuit breaker. Thomson led a reporter into the ladies room to show off broken toilets.

The drinking fountains don't work right now. A sign has been taped to them saying they are out of order until further notice.

A new building?

The elevators shake and sometimes stop working altogether. The chief recalls being stuck between floors once.

"The one time I got caught in the elevator, of course I didn't have my cell phone with me. I'm calling into dispatch, 'Hey, the chief's in the elevator!"' he laughed.

It was about 10 minutes later when the elevator started working again and he was able to get out.

The building has about 54 broken windows. Caulk that secures the single pane windows has hardened and is cracking. Internal Affairs detective Phil Eslinger put a piece of scotch tape over a hole in his office in an attempt to keep out cold air.

The Salt Lake City Police Department practically leaks energy. In 2006, Rhodes said, the building's utilities cost about $469,000. The cost should be about $115,000. Any new building would have to meet a city mandate for energy efficient buildings under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEEDs) program.

Burbank said working in an aging building has impacted morale.