By Danny Federico
Riverbend News
The Suwannee County Jail has begun to implement a new form of technology into their booking system. Installed in mid-October, the Tek84 Intercept Full Body Scanner is a machine that will help keep the facility more secure and the inmates and staff safer. According to the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office, this new machine will be able to prevent contraband from being brought into the jail by having the ability to detect any drugs or weapons that an inmate may have on their person or within their body cavities. It will automatically measure an arrestee's temperature to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 throughout the jail.
When asked about the scanner and its future impact on both inmates and staff, Suwannee County Sheriff Sam St. John said, “Once word gets around that we have a scanner that can find weapons and drugs on [an inmate's] person...hopefully it'll eliminate the amounts that come in.” Sheriff St. John also stated that the jail had been trying to acquire the scanner for a while, but they didn't have the money to get it. However, thanks to a CARES grant, they were finally able to attain it. Sheriff St. John hopes that the body scanner will be able to protect both the jail's staff, as well as the inmates through its ability to scan for drugs, weapons and body temperature.