They are at security checkpoints in airports all over the world.
Large full-body scanners give Transportation Security Administration officials a glimpse into what we’re hiding in our pockets.
These machines, used to prevent passengers from bringing dangerous items into terminals and onto airplanes, have now made their way into county jails across the state.
At the Alachua County Jail, deputies recently started using a RadPRO SecurPASS scanner to screen criminals for any contraband before booking them into the jail.
“Security is enhanced by ensuring tools and/or weapons are not introduced into the facility by prisoners/inmates,” wrote Capt. Jeff Cloutier, ASO Security Operations Division Commander at the jail, in an email.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office purchased the machine in September from Canon U.S.A. Inc., the same company that manufactures cameras and printers, for $200,000.
The money came from confiscated drug money and funds from unfilled positions within the sheriff’s office, according to an ASO news release.
The sheriff’s office now joins Marion, Indian River, Polk, St. Lucie, Palm Beach and Pasco county sheriff’s offices in using full body scanners in their jails, Cloutier said.
With the new machine, officials have reduced the time to search an inmate if they believe he or she is trying to sneak illegal items into the jail.
A traditional strip search requires several deputies and could take 15 minutes to complete, said ASO spokesman Lt. Todd Kelly.
Jail officials can now screen an inmate for contraband in seconds.
Here’s how it works:
An inmate steps onto a platform and is moved across a gate that shoots an X-ray beam, which takes a digital X-ray of the inmate from head to toe.
After a few seconds, the scanner produces a detailed image of the inmate’s body, and the picture is sent to a computer, where a jail official checks to see if the scanner located any hidden items.
The machine can detect weapons, drugs, chemical and biological materials, and items as small as a needle, according to the SecurPASS website.
If the machine detects any hidden items, officials conduct a strip search and confiscate the contraband from the inmate.
During a testing session Dec. 11, jail officials found a handcuff key hidden inside an inmate’s rectum, an item that would have gone unnoticed without the machine, Kelly said.
Along with keeping illegal items out of the jail, Sheriff Sadie Darnell said the machine would help improve work security.
“We are committed to providing a safe environment for employees at the jail and want criminals to know that the Alachua County Jail is not where you want to try to smuggle contraband,” she said.
Contact Chris Alcantara at calcantara@alligator.org.
Alachua County Jail officials now use the scanner to screen criminals for contraband before booking them.
