By Jeff Neal
Commonwealth Journal
SOMERSET, Ky. — Pulaski County Jailer David Moss told fiscal court last week that in order to continue the inmate work-release program, the issue of contraband coming into the facility would have to be resolved.
Fortunately, he has a solution — albeit a costly one.
Moss said a full-body scanner would prevent inmates from bringing unwanted — and sometimes dangerous — items back into the jail, and also work to prevent visitors from bringing contraband into the detention center as well.
“We put a freeze on the work-release program last week after an incident,” Moss said. “We have to provide a safe environment for all the inmates and everyone who works at the jail. Without a better way of preventing contraband from coming into the jail, it’s just not safe.”
Moss said inmates actually smuggle items into the jail in body cavities — anything from a box of chewing tobacco to dangerous drugs.
“It’s a problem,” Moss said. ”They’ll hide it anywhere, and we don’t do body cavity searches.
“People on the outside know where these inmates are going to be and they leave items for them ... they hide them so the inmates can pick them up,” Moss added. “These inmates really need to be supervised. And I know they’re not being supervised as closely as they need to be.”
Moss said the solution would be the full-body scanner, which would detect any foreign object that an inmate is trying to get into the jail.
“The inmates wouldn’t have to undress or even take their shoes off,” Moss said. ”It literally takes seconds to use. The way we do it now, we have to strip search every inmate as they come back in and it takes a lot of time — and contraband is still making its way into the facility.”
Moss said the cost of the scanner, should the county opt to purchase one, would be in the $195,000 range. But a lease, he said, would make more sense. The approximate cost would be around $40,000 annually, but it would include a service contract.
“I think leasing would be the way to go,” Moss said. ”If we purchased one and then something went wrong after the warranty expired, we could be looking at expensive repairs.”
Pulaski County Attorney Martin Hatfield said that since some judges have work-release as a stipulation to inmates’ sentences, the Administrative Office of the Courts might “kick in” to fund the scanner.
“It’s an expensive item and since the judges order some of these guys out ... it’s worth a shot,” Hatfield said.
The work-release inmates are housed separately from the general population in a 46-bed facility.
“That’s a lot of people to search every day,” Moss said. “It takes almost two hours to search them all and get them back into the facility after they’ve been out. The body scanner takes eight seconds per inmate and it keeps the facility safe.”
Moss added that the body scanner would not just be used for work-release inmates. All visitors to the jail — and even PCDC employees — would be scanned before they ventured into a secure portion of the facility.
“I know with all the uncertainty with the occupational tax, it’s impossible for the jail to lease a scanner on its own,” Moss said. “That’s why I approached the magistrates.”
Pulaski County Judge-Executive Steve Kelley said he would gather information on the scanner.
In the meantime, Moss and his workers have had five extensive searches of every cell since he took office.
“We’ve found two shanks, and several other items that could have been made into weapons,” Moss said. ”We’re doing everything in our power to keep the jail safe.
“This scanner would be a very effective tool,” he added. “We’re trying to stay a half-step ahead of the inmates. This would certainly help.”