Pottawattamie County is beefing up security to keep deputies and anybody who works at the jail safer. This comes one year after a Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Deputy was shot and killed by an inmate who escaped custody.
The Secur-Pass Whole Body Digital Screening System will be used on all incoming arrests, as well as inmates leaving the facility for court while in custody, and likely when they return.
It's able to detect any contraband that can't be caught during a normal pat down. Pott. Co. Sheriff Jeff Danker says it will make a big difference to locate hard to find items often that have been ingested.
Sheriff Danker said they worked with county commissioners to get this screening system after Deputy Mark Burbridge was shot and killed by an inmate who was returning from a court sentencing. The inmate was able to hide some type of handcuff key to get out of his shackles and attack the guards.
"If we would've had this at that time and been able to scan that individual I would say there was probably a good possibility that if there was something in his hair or secreted somewhere else on his body that we would've had a good shot at finding that and keeping it off of him so he wouldn't have had that opportunity," Sheriff Danker explained.
The scan system will be ready to use at the jail by the end of the week.
