Woodbury County Sheriff Dave Drew says this technology is one of the best purchases made that helps ensure the safety of Jail Staff and Inmates by being able to spot contraband such as weapons or drugs before it enters the jail. The device was purchased using funds from the Jail Room and Board fees which a portion is used for upgrades and improvements at the jail.

Major Wingert says in its two weeks being used it has already found contraband that otherwise may have not been found when it detected an abnormality inside an inmate who was there to turn themselves in. Along with physical symptoms, the images on the scan allowed staff to reject the inmate potentially eliminating contraband from entering the jail and costing the county thousands of dollars in potential medical costs.

The device, Secure Pass by RadPro cost about $190,000 dollars but pays for itself as it's used to scan every inmate coming into the jail, whether it be an arrest, inmate returning from court or jail transfers. In Woodbury County, this can be up to 50 people a day. The scan takes about 7 seconds and provides a full body X-Ray. The amount of radiation emitted during the scan is equivalent to eating 2 bananas. It can safety scan anyone with any type of medical implants and is easy and safe for staff to use. It also eliminates the need for invasive searches of inmates.

About 20 jail staff employees are trained on its use. Pottawattamie County was the first jail in Iowa to purchase this type of technology after the death of a Deputy during an inmate court transfer where an inmate had smuggled an undetected handcuff key. Woodbury County is the second jail in Iowa to purchase such a machine. Jail staff researched many devices before deciding on purchasing this machine.