Hall County Jail's Latest Tactic to Keep Prisoners Under Control: CLEARPASS Scanner

Background

A new body scanner in GRAND ISLAND, Nebraska is being used to detect threats and prevent drugs and weapons from being smuggled into the Hall County Jail. Correctional officers are constantly looking out for your safety and may discover unexpected items and locations. Sergeant Mitch Cure reported that some types of wigs cannot be removed because mobile phones are sewn into them. Last year, a prisoner escaped using weapons made from unusual objects.

Solution

The latest tactic, introduced by LINEV Systems in the form of the $160,000 CLEARPASS scanner, keeps prisoners under control. Corrections director Todd Bahensky said corrections officers see problems with drugs and weapons, but don’t want to see fentanyl, as even small amounts can be lethal. However, with a new body scanner equipped with software to automatically detect threats using sophisticated artificial intelligence, it may be easier to prevent an overdose. This software goes way beyond old-fashioned checks.

That’s what they could find – “What we could feel, what we could see,” Bahensky explained. The director of corrections demonstrated that the scanner uses a low-dose, non-invasive x-ray beam that can even find drugs inside the body. Cure said that they had problems when they swallowed something and looked normal here, and only after a day they became more aggressive, seemed taller than they were, perhaps something poop inside the balloon.

Results

Hall County plans to use technology similar to airport security scanners on every arriving inmate. They used this technology with a prisoner who was on trial for escaping. “When we arrested Tyler Manka in Tecumseh, we didn’t have a scanner, so we took him to Lancaster County where they scanned him,” Bahensky said. During the trial of Manka, it became known that he was found several times with homemade weapons both in local and state detention centers. The scanner is able to detect small objects and, unlike a metal detector, also sees plastic. The AI software highlights areas for further search. It can detect tobacco or lighters, but there are other problems that have a higher priority.

Bahensky said that the main thing is the safety of all those present here. He expressed his concern about the possible entry of dangerous objects, hidden weapons and drugs into this place.