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Surprise Shakedown At Lake County Jail Finds No Contraband

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Inmates at the Lake County Jail were having coffee Thursday morning when officers with dogs stormed in.

WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports the 638 inmates were taken into dayrooms at the jail while sheriff's officers and canine units searched their cells for knives, drugs, cell phones, or other contraband.

Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Nick Kalfas briefed the shakedown teams before they went in.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports

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The search involved 14 search dogs organized into six teams to go through all 15 housing units at the jail, including all cells, dayrooms and recreational areas.

Sheriff Mark Curran said, "Narcotics do make their way into correctional institutions, something that the inmates – if given the opportunity – would love to do."

Kalfas leads the jail's corrections response team. He said the inmates are all brought out of their cells before starting the searches.

"We have all the inmates brought out into the dayroom area to prevent them from being able to flush any type of contraband they may have down the toilet," he said.

The jail was remarkably quiet during the shakedown. Asked how they keep the facility so quiet, Kalfas said, "Basically, by operating under the principles of direct supervision, where we enforce all the rules, no matter how big or how small."

During the sweep, dogs got two hits for possible drugs, but no drugs or other contraband was found.

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