Miami County to install body scanner in jail

Miami County Sheriff Dave Duchak said he hopes to have a body scanner within two months to check all inmates for contraband before they enter both county jails.

The county commission voted today to approve the sheriff’s office purchase of a Soter RS full-body security scanning system from OD Security North America for $118,750.

RELATED: Full-body scanner purchased for Montgomery County Jail

“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.

Locally, Montgomery County commissioners approved the purchase of the same type of scanner for the county jail two weeks ago. The Greene County Sheriff’s Office scanner is installed and ready to go. “It will be soon,” Maj. Kirk Keller of the Greene County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. Warren County Jail Administrator Brett Richardson said the county will wait until a new jail is built to purchase a scanner. Warren County commissioners approved funding for the new jail last month.

RELATED: Greene County Jail buys scanner to combat drug smuggling

Any inmate coming into either the downtown Troy jail or the Incarceration Facility between Troy and Piqua first will be taken through the body scanner, which will be located at the downtown jail, Duchak said. If they leave the facility for court or another purpose, they will be required to go back through the scanner before being returned to either jail.

The county has had one jail overdose death and three non-fatal overdoses in the past two years, Duchak said.

MORE: Miami County 2017 overdose deaths surpass last year’s total

The scanner is being paid for with money from sheriff office accounts.

“We really appreciate your diligence. When we originally talked (about buying a scanner) we were looking at $180,000 to $200,000. You have also come up with a funding source … We certainly do appreciate it,” Commission President Jack Evans told Duchak. “There is no question about it, it is badly needed.”

Duchak thanked the commission for working with him on obtaining the body scanner.

The body scanner will will be placed in the sally port of the downtown jail, where some changes are being made by county maintenance personnel to accommodate it.

The contract price includes shipping, installation, calibration and testing, training, and a two-year warranty.

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