Cook County Jail Installs Body Scanners For Prisoners
CHICAGO (CBS) -- In an effort to improve safety for inmates and officers, the Cook County Jail has installed new high-tech body-scanning machines, Sheriff Tom Dart said Tuesday.
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The jail has four machines that will be used to screen inmates who may try to smuggle drugs or weapons into the jail at 26th Street and California Avenue.
The scan takes seven seconds and will allow officers to determine whether prisoners are hiding anything in their clothing, hair or even a body cavity, the sheriff's office said in a news release.
The machines do not show any anatomical outlines or facial features, ensuring detainee privacy, Dart said.
The machines have been installed in the men's and women's receiving rooms and two maximum security buildings.
"All of our officers are unarmed while they are in the jail, so these machines are the main way we can try to ensure their safety," Dart said in a statement.
