DeKalb County Jail Installs Full-Body Scanners

DECATUR, GA — When you visit the DeKalb County Jail, don't be surprised if you have to have a full-body scan upon entering the building.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said it's installed full-body scanners at entrances to its facilities on Memorial Drive in Decatur to better to detect the presence of weapons and contraband on visitors, employees and arrestees.

“Using full body scanners greatly reduces physical contact by our officers with persons entering the facility,” Sheriff Melody Maddox said in a news release. “The units offer head-to-toe vertical scanning that takes only seconds, includes body cavities, and uses low-level x-rays. Security breaches are rare, but they are potentially life-threatening, as the accessibility of weapons or contraband among inmates has serious consequences.”

Last year, the agency said it purchased two units of the Tek84 Intercept Body Scanner for High-Security Screening, a state-of-the-art security scanning system similar to what's being used by more than 500 correctional facilities nationwide.

The units are located inside the jail intake area and the public entrance to the jail lobby.

According to the sheriff's office, these scanners represent the agency’s commitment to improve the efficiency of security operations at the administrative offices and at the DeKalb County Jail through the use of technological innovations.