Bucks Prison Device To Scan Guards For Drugs
The Bucks County, Pa., Prison is preparing to activate its ion scanner in the next few weeks. The $116,000 device can read the most miniscule trace of drugs on the clothing or fingertips of employees and other people who enter the facility on a regular basis, except for the families and friends of inmates.
When individuals walk though the scanner, a jet of air will remove molecules from their bodies and send them into a device that studies their movement to decide what substances they create. The scanner then offers a printout describing what substances are on the individual’s body.
In addition, every person walking through the scanner is digitally photographed. Employees and others coming into the prison will be mandated to remove all items from their pockets, then walk through the scanner and a metal detector.
An X-ray device will scan packages, briefcases, and purses. After passing through the detectors, individuals entering the jail will be patted down by a corrections officer; if the ion scanner registers a positive reading, the individuals will be subjected to a more intense search.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Morning Call (07/12/05) P. B1; Marcovitz, Hal .