Commissioners review service agreement renewal for Lawrence County jail body scanner

Lawrence County commissioners heard a presentation June 24 on renewing a service agreement for the county jail’s body scanner and were told the expense would be paid from the jail’s welfare fund rather than the county general budget.

Howard, a jail staff member who presented the item, described the machine as “a type of x‑ray machine with radiation, low levels, variable levels to scan the inmates' body inside of their clothing” and said it helps detect contraband “including drugs, weapons, any type of object inside their body that that may not be seen by the naked eye during a normal search.” Howard said the annual service agreement would cover parts, labor, shipping, preventive maintenance inspections, software updates and the radiation survey of the scanner; he stated the cost as "$11.225 dollars" in the meeting presentation.

The board asked operational questions. Commissioner Sonata, who chairs the county’s prison board, asked whether the scanner is used for every inmate; Howard replied it is used for inmates, with medical exceptions such as pregnancy. Commissioner Kennedy asked when the scanner was first implemented; staff recalled installation in late 2022 or early 2023. Commissioners and presenters said the scanner has helped identify concealed items and prevent problems inside the facility.

The transcript shows the presentation and discussion but does not record a formal motion or recorded vote on the service agreement during the June 24 meeting. Commissioners asked technical and policy questions and received clarifications about usage and medical exceptions; the transcript does not indicate any change to who is scanned or adoption of new policy during the meeting.

If the county later places the service agreement on a future agenda for approval, the board will need to adopt a motion and record a vote; no such formal action is shown in the June 24 transcript.