Pasco Sheriff Unveils New Weapon in War on Crime

Inmates who try to sneak banned items into the Land O’ Lakes Jail are in for a big surprise thanks to a new piece of technology the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office started using this week.

The RadPRO SecurPASS whole-body scanner is designed to enable deputies to detect contraband items, such as drugs and weapons, in a fraction of the time it takes to perform a strip search.

According to Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco, the new $195,000 scanner was purchased using forfeiture dollars, which is money that is seized from people who have committed crimes.

The scanner involves two basic parts. The imaging system itself takes a full-body picture of a person and sends the results to a monitor. While the picture shows the outline of the body and any items on or in it, the person is not recognizable. Soft tissue doesn’t show up on the screen, which means there are no privacy concerns, Pasco officials said.

The scanner is able to detect metallic and non-metallic items, such as guns, knives, cell phones, drugs and cigarettes.

Once the image is put onto the monitor, deputies can instantly see if there is a need for a further search to remove contraband. If it is detected, the inmate may face additional charges for trying to introduce contraband into the jail.

The advantages of the new system, Nocco said, are many. Strip searches take about 15 minutes to perform. They are only allowed to be performed on inmates who have broken certain laws. The scanner can be used on all inmates who are booked into the jail.

Pasco is the third county in the state to install the SecurPASS.The new system was put into use starting this Monday, Oct. 17. Within 12 hours, an incoming inmate was detected with contraband, jail officials said.

Nocco wants to send a message to people who think sneaking banned items into jail is a good idea: “We have this device. Don’t try to smuggle anything into our county jail.”