Greene County Sheriff’s Office closer to getting jail body scanner

The Greene County Sheriff’s Office is a step closer to purchasing a body scanner to help detect contraband being smuggled into the jail.

“The sales of these body scanners has increased and more and more sheriff’s offices and police agencies are purchasing these scanners for the needs of trying to detect drugs before they come into the facility,” said Maj. Kirk Keller with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.

Keller said the department has narrowed it’s search for possible companies to purchase the body scanner from to two.

The latest development comes just a day after deputies released information on a suspected drug-related death in the Greene County Jail, the county’s first in approximately 26 years.

>>RELATED: Man dies in Greene County jail after ingesting suspected drugs in a bag

According to Keller, current legislation doesn’t allow deputies to do any kind of body cavity search of an inmate coming into the facility, however the new technology would allow deputies to scan inmates for possible contraband.

“We know that people more and more today are bringing drugs into the facility,” the major said.

Greene County deputies have visited other jails in the region to research options for the scanner, including the Tri-County Jail, which serves Champaign County and two other counties, Keller said.

After a purchase is made, deputies will have to undergo special training and the department will have to develop policies for the new machine.

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