Renville County considering purchase of full-body scanner to prevent contraband entering jail
Dec. 23—OLIVIA — Renville County is looking at the possibility of purchasing a full-body scanner to help keep contraband out of its 72-bed jail.
Sheriff Scott Hable and Jail Administrator Ned Wohlman told the Renville County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 20 that they are investigating the purchase of a full-body scanner for the safety of staff and inmates.
The purchase would require approval from the commissioners. Proposals under consideration range from $148,000 for a unit with a two-year warranty and installation or $171,000 for a unit with a five-year warranty and installation.
"I think it sets us up for success," said Sheriff Hable about the potential addition.
While a full-body scanner is not necessarily the "end all, be all" solution, he noted it can be more effective than strip searches for catching contraband. There have been instances of inmates swallowing contraband prior to entering the jail.
He told the commissioners that the jail has already seen the consequences of what happens when drugs are smuggled into the jail. The drugs are readily shared among the inmate population.
In one case, an inmate transferred to the Renville County Jail overdosed on methamphetamine.
He was transported by ambulance to the hospital, then transported by helicopter to Regions Hospital in the Twin Cities where he remained in the intensive care unit for a week, chemically sedated for five days, according to the sheriff.
The sheriff said the jail has fortunately not had any weapons smuggled in, but noted the potential harm that could result.
The improved defense against contraband improves safety and reduces liability for the county, according to the sheriff and jail administrator.
Wohlman said there have been instances at detention centers elsewhere where correctional officers have been exposed to fentanyl and needed to be treated with naloxone — medication used to treat opioid overdoses and commonly known by the brand name Narcan.
Sheriff Hable said the timing is right to explore the purchase now, thanks to a favorable financial situation for the jail. It currently has a revenue surplus of $350,000.
The sheriff and jail administrator have explored possible grant funds, but without success. Hable said the company that sells scanners told him that some counties have used American Rescue Plan Act funds.
County Administrator Lisa Herges said the county is expecting $117,000 in funds as part of the state's opioid settlement with manufacturers. Whether those funds could be applied toward a scanner purchase is to be learned.
The county's public health director will be required to hold a public hearing on the use of the funds.
A number of county jails in the state have installed full-body scanners since the Legislature approved a bill in 2019 exempting jails from Department of Health regulations that otherwise prevented them from operating limited scope X-ray and bone densitometry equipment.
The Anoka County and Beltrami County Jails are among those which added scanners in the year following the law's passage. In Beltrami County, the jail installed its scanner after seeing 11 inmate overdoses in 2019, according to published reports.
