New body scanner installed at Aiken County detention center already paying off

Alexandra Koch, Aiken Standard, S.C.
·1 min read

Oct. 28—The Aiken County detention center has installed a new full body X-ray scanner.

The new addition is a "game-changing weapon to stop drugs, weapons and other contraband from being smuggled into the facility," according to a release from the Aiken County detention center.

The machine scans the inmate from head to toe, searching for metallic and nonmetallic items that may be hidden in clothing or within the body, according to the release. The unit is manufactured in the United States by Tek 84 and was installed at the detention center Oct. 14.

The sheriff's office said the new Intercept body scanner has given them the upper hand in keeping inmates and staff safe.

"The implementation of the body scanner has been an immediate success," said Capt. Nick Gallam with the detention center. "On the first day in operation, detention deputies identified a foreign substance located in a body cavity of Jeana Marie Childers."

Childers was arrested by Aiken Department of Public Safety and booked into the detention center for trespassing and shoplifting. She was subsequently charged with possession of heroin.

The price of the body scanner was $177,120 and was purchased using inmate telephone commissions, according to the release.