Full body scanner to help stop contraband in county jail

PLATTSBURGH | The Clinton County Sheriff's Department has recently purchased an Intercept- a full-body scanner made by Tek84 based out of San Diego, Calif. The machine can complete a scan in four seconds or about 180 scans in an hour. The Intercept is widely used in United States jails and an estimated eight counties in New York State already have one, according to Clinton County Sheriff's Department Lieutenant Kevin Laurin. The machine itself cost $160,000 to purchase and was paid for using American Rescue Plan Act funds. The Intercept machine is located in the intake portion of the jail and will be instrumental in helping stop the flow of contraband into the facility. "It is a tool for our officers to help protect themselves and to help protect the inmate population overall," Clinton County Sheriff David Favro said. The device is more accurate than an airport scanner and takes an internal scan of an individual photo to show where weapons, drugs, and other contraband may be concealed. The device also takes the individual's temperature, which can help stop the spread of sickness in the jail. "There's a big training curve with it as we're learning right now. We've had a couple [of] cases so far with it that, gas bubbles, for example, show up as an unusual object inside a person's body and it may look like something that's in there and you have to differentiate between contraband or a gas bubble," stated Favro. The machine has already come in handy, as it's already spotted contraband. "The second day we had this here, we had someone, two inmates that were leaving, and we decided to scan them and we found them with contraband, both of them," Laurin said. According to Laurin, an individual can be exposed to more radiation by eating a banana than they can from Intercept. Currently, there are about 20 employees trained to operate the machine, with the goal to grow that number. Favro said, "It's a process we want to get everyone familiar with so that they'll be able to do it, but most importantly, learning and understanding how this device works and how it can be such a lifesaver. Not just for our officers but for inmates as well, 'cause you just don't know what's coming in today…" "It's been a great tool. My officers, the morale has jumped like you can't believe," Laurin concluded.

Signup for our newsletter

Full body scanner to help stop contraband in county jail

COMPANY

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

SUBMISSION FORMS

BEYOND THE NEWS