2 Investigators

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Chicagoans could be facing a safety risk. The city is down 40 building inspectors, meaning fewer experts are keeping an eye on elevators, code violations, rat infestations and other dangers.

Now, 2 Investigator Pam Zekman is reporting that the city has a new "master plan" to make up for the lost staff. But will it work?

Christine Bailey has a problem -- a rat problem.

"It's really bad at night because it's under my base board in my bedroom," she said. "I hear it gnawing and gnawing."

The rats are chewing on everything from electrical cords to carpet and there are rat holes everywhere from the bedroom to the kitchen.

Bailey said she made seven calls to the city since January with no success. So she contacted the 2 Investigators for help.

"You can get diseases," she said. "Who knows what they are tracking through my house."

Rat complaints in apartment buildings are supposed to be checked out by Building Department conservation inspectors.

But we've learned since 2008, eight conservation inspectors have been cut from the budget. Today, there are only 57 inspectors in the whole city assigned to issues such as vermin and structural problems at pre-existing buildings.

We've also learned the city is down eight electrical inspectors, 12 plumbing inspectors, three elevator inspectors. Elevators are supposed to be inspected each year, but the two in one building haven't been since 2006.

Britney Arteaga works in the building and says and she always takes the stairs because of what happened on the elevator.

"It felt like the elevator was gonna fall," she said.

But she rode with us to describe the elevators intermittent problems.

"There's so many other things that they could cut back on, but they definitely should not cut back on our safety," Arteaga said.

The building department disputes that the reduction in inspectors has put safety at risk. Now even more reductions are expected as part of a master plan to change the way the agency does business.

Under the plan, the city will only inspect buildings every three years, relying on building owners to use licensed contractors and tradesmen for annual code inspections.

"It is the responsibility of the building owner today to maintain the safety of their buildings and tenants," Building Commissioner Richard Monocchio said.

And if they don't?

"Then the city will take action," he said.

Monocchio says this will free up inspectors to respond to complaints. City inspectors will continue to do all inspections of new construction.

That didn't work to well for Clari and Gordon Siegle. As we previously disclosed, they live next door to a new home being built by George Giannoulias, the brother of the state treasurer.

"Every day there is something new -- there's a new crack, our floors are splitting, the house is sinking," Clari said.

No wonder. Over the last four years, the number of new construction inspectors has been reduced by seven. Demolition inspectors are down by nine.

The city is now investigating whether the contractor on the new home failed to adequately brace the Siegle home. And, as a result of our inquiry, inspectors were dispatched to the other buildings in this report, and citations written for violations of the building code.

The city's new master plan will be phased in gradually beginning with elevator inspections. Private contractors hired by building owners to maintain them will be asked to certify that everything is up to code.

The city will audit 10 percent of those certifications annually and if violations are found, the contractors could lose their license.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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