NEW YORK, NY April 10, 2007 —The Health Department inspector who allowed a rat-infested fast-food restaurant to remain open has resigned. The move came as city officials recommended an overhaul of the restaurant inspection program. WNYC’s Fred Mogul has more.

A report released Monday by the city’s Department of Investigations outlined how an inspector under-counted the number of rat droppings at a Greenwich Village KFC/Taco Bell during a February visit. That inspection came exactly a month after the local City Council member forwarded a complaint to the Health Department. The day after the inspection, news of the rat infestation broke and the department began some scurrying of its own.

Yesterday, Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden said the incident pointed to wider “failings of personnel, policy and practice.” Frieden and Investigations Department Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn gave specific recommendations for changing how the Health Department responds to complaints, follows up inspections and trains employees. For WNYC, I’m Fred Mogul.