Body Scanners In Jefferson County Jail To Curb COVID-19 Spread

JEFFERSON COUNTY, AL — New body scanners obtained by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office aims at reducing the spread of COVID-19 in the jail by greatly reducing physical contact between the staff and the inmates during the booking process. The scanners were first put into use May 27.

Sheriff Mark Pettway has been pioneering the effort to keep the virus out of his jails, and has been successful in keeping his staff and the inmates free of the virus since the quarantine orders have been in place. The implementation of the outdoor booking area, 14-day quarantine holding cells, monitoring the health of the staff and aggressive cleaning procedures have been at the forefront of continuing this achievement.

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These scanners will reduce the need for deputies to physically search incoming inmates for drugs, weapons or other illegal contraband that could make its way into the jail. Having these scanners in place have the added benefit of keeping these dangerous items out of the jail and will have the ability to locate contraband that subjects attempt to hide on their body in places that are difficult or even impossible for deputies to locate.

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