Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Andy Skoogman, 612-919-5918
Hennepin County Sheriff Installs Full-Body Scanner to Enhance Safety of Inmates and Staff at Jail
December 14, 2020 (Minneapolis) - Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson announced today that deputies are now using a full-body scanner to safely search people who are booked into the Hennepin County Public Safety Facility.
Sheriff Hutchinson said the technology will help keep inmates and staff safer by quickly and unobtrusively finding dangerous concealed items, such as drugs and weapons, on or in the bodies of those entering the facility.
Sheriff Hutchinson said one of the main goals of the new full body scanner is to reverse the troubling trend of inmate drug overdoses, which have skyrocketed across the country amid the opioid epidemic. According to a recent independent analysis by Reuters, the death rate in the nation’s jails from drug and alcohol overdoses rose about 72% since 2016.
“We are not immune to this issue in Minnesota and our staff worked closely with the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association to convince state lawmakers this technology was critically important,” Hutchinson said. “We are confident it will save lives.”
After nearly a decade of discussion at the Minnesota Legislature, state lawmakers in 2019 authorized the use of security screening x-ray equipment in corrections facilities. Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office staff has been working with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) since December 2019 to meet the health requirements in the statute. MDH granted its variance to Hennepin County on Friday, December 11, 2020.
The Intercept Tek84 Full Body Scanner is built on the same technology as those commonly found in airports and completes head-to-toe imaging in only four seconds. It also complies with the ANSI N43-17 Federal Standard for radiation safety.
For more information or to request an interview with the Sheriff, contact Hennepin County Chief Public Information Officer Andy Skoogman at andrew.skoogman@hennepin.us.
– HCSO–
Look for more news on
the Hennepin County Sheriff's website at http://www.hennepinsheriff.org.
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