County buys body scanner for jail inmates | Greene County
CATSKILL — Lawmakers accepted the invest in of a physique scanner for the Greene County Jail on Thursday.
The scanner, which costs $159,000 and will be paid out for with American Rescue Approach Act resources, will be utilised to detect hid weapons and concealed medications, Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden mentioned in July.
“For those of you who have flown airways a short while ago, this is the equipment exactly where you move into — a significant circular equipment — you elevate your hands and it does a comprehensive 360 about your entire body to detect any steel or other content that you may well be carrying,” Groden explained.
Because of the structure of the jail, the device will be utilised only for inmate bookings, Groden claimed. The equipment can also sign up human body temperatures to detect fevers and stop even further spread of COVID-19.
Blocking the spread of the virus qualifies the invest in for American Rescue Prepare cash.
“For these situations exactly where a shank or some other piece of metallic was currently being held in an obscure locale of the physique, this equipment will uncover it,” Groden said.
Site visitors will even now be subjected to lookups by metallic detector and a wand, and possessions will be retained in a secure region, Groden reported. The state requires total-call visitation, this means inmate and visitor are seated at a desk with no partition separating them and confined touching is permitted.
“The concern of the skill for contraband to be transferred and visitation — it is attainable,” Groden mentioned. “I’m going to say exclusive because of the security system that is in area.”
Groden mentioned the invest in of the equipment was encouraged by an incident in Ulster County in which an inmate tried to smuggle medicines into a jail and because Greene transfers inmates concerning other counties.
“Just a short while ago, I believe all of you are informed of an incident the place a particular person who was getting arrested and despatched into short term housing and was at Ulster County, the device picked up the simple fact that the individual experienced a balloon inside his cavity in which he was carrying unlawful medications that, without this device, he would have had people medication in his keep inside his cell,” Groden reported.
Legislator William B. Lawrence, R-Cairo, claimed at the committee assembly it was a excellent use of the American Rescue Strategy resources.
“The cost is in fact justified since it does involve safety for equally inmates and officers,” he reported.
Legislator Thomas Hobart, R-Coxsackie, stated the equipment would remove fears about currently being searched by a identical-gender officer.
“Once the individual is frisked out, they can move in this device, you do not have to — there’s a expression used, but a woman or male — you don’t have to be concerned about it,” Hobart stated.
