WAKULLA, Fla. (WCTV) – The Wakulla County Sheriff\u2019s Office has introduced new security measures they say will help keep the jail safer for everyone.<\/p>\n
Captain Brett Surace with the Sheriff\u2019s Office said the addition of an advanced body scanner adds one more layer of protection for inmates, staff and the broader community.<\/p>\n
Surace said the scanner allows deputies to detect objects that might not be caught during a standard search. In some cases, he says, individuals may conceal items in their body or within layers of clothing, places a traditional pat down could miss. Those items can include small bags of drugs or even larger objects, such as pieces of metal hidden in a waistline or belt.<\/p>\n
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Surace explained the scanner works similarly to technology used at airports and is designed to enhance overall safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are safer knowing that person is in there, it also mitigates your risk of people getting what they need to try to affect an escape or anything from a facility. So on multiple levels it really protects all of us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The advanced body scanner cost about $250,000. Surace said the agency was able to fund the purchase through the Florida Inmate Welfare Fund.<\/p>\n
He added that the Wakulla County Sheriff\u2019s Office is on the forefront of this change and that adopting the technology is already encouraging other agencies to follow suit.<\/p>\n
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