County step closer to using body scanner at jail

Miami County Sheriff Dave Duchak said he hopes the body scanner purchased for the county’s two adult jails will be in use in early October.

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Training for the sheriff’s office corrections staff began this week. About 20 staff members will be trained. They, in turn, will train the rest of the staff, Duchak said.

A policy for scanner use is being finalized. “I would hope to go live with it late next week or early the following week,” Duchak said.

The scanner will be used to check all inmates for contraband before they enter the county jail in downtown Troy or the county Incarceration Facility located between Troy and Piqua. The scanner is located at the downtown jail.

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The county commissioners voted Aug. 1 to approve the sheriff’s office buying the Soter RS full body security scanning system from OD Security North America for $118,750.

“This technology will greatly enhance the safety and security of our staff and the inmates. A lot of jails are going to this technology. It is going to help keep bad things out of the jail,” Duchak said.

If an inmate leaves the facility for court or another purpose, they will be required to go back through the scanner before being returned to jail.

County Commission President Jack Evans said he was pleased the scanner has arrived, and is in place.

“The equipment will lead to additional safety for our correction officers and the other inmates,” he said.

The county has had one jail overdose death and three non-fatal overdoses in the past two years. Earlier this week, a Clark County woman was sentenced to prison after a gun was found concealed in her bra at the jail. Duchak said the scanner should help avert those types of situations.

Evans, too, pointed to the case of the woman who concealed a gun in her bra at the jail earlier this year.

“Fortunately, the gun wasn’t loaded, but it could have been and put our people at risk. That is certainly not what we want,” Evans said.The scanner was paid for with money from sheriff office accounts.

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