Morrison County sheriff says body scanner and programs reduced jail overdoses, reports steady inmate numbers

The Morrison County Sheriff’s Office told county commissioners it saw immediate results after installing a body scanner and rolling out other security and rehabilitation measures, and reported steady jail usage, some reductions in certain crime categories and growing mental-health and reentry programming.

Sheriff Sean Larson presented the department’s 2024 annual report to the Morrison County Board of Commissioners and said the body scanner—installed after several overdoses in early 2023—was used repeatedly after implementation and appears to have stopped in-jail overdoses. “Since we’ve implemented this body scanner... We haven’t had to use Narcan at all. We haven’t had any overdoses at all,” Larson said.

Larson and deputies gave commissioners a wide-ranging briefing that included jail statistics, public-safety equipment, inmate services and volunteer-run programs. The sheriff said 824 people were booked into the county jail from April 2024 through the end of the year; the scanner triggered 1,011 times during that period because the facility also scans work-release and other entrants. Jail daily average occupancy was 47 inmates, he said, and the sheriff’s office reported $426,985 in revenue from housing out-of-county inmates.

Why it matters: The scanner and related measures are tied to changes in in-jail safety and operations, and county leaders were shown metrics that officials said support continued investment in security and programming.

Major statistics and operational changes

- Body scanner: Implemented February 2024; 824 booked inmates April–Dec. 2024; scanner alarms 1,011 times in that span. Sheriff Larson said the office has not needed to use Narcan in the jail since implementation.

- Body cameras: The jail’s body-camera system began in February 2024 and generated 4,304 recordings between launch and Aug. 13, 2024. Larson explained recordings go to a secure cloud and supervisors review incidents; recordings can be labeled and retained longer when needed for arrests or court matters.

- Jail population and revenue: Average daily population was 47 inmates; housing outside-county inmates produced about $426,985 in revenue in 2024.

- Mental-health and medical cases: The sheriff’s office recorded 143 mental-health calls in 2024 (77 classified as suicidal). In the jail, 1,167 inmates were booked and 373 (about 32%) received jail-based mental-health services—an increase from 26% the prior year. The county recorded 311 deaths in 2024; medical-examiner cases assumed by the examiner’s office numbered 241. Larson said five drug-related accidental deaths in 2024 involved fentanyl or methamphetamine in postmortem testing.

SWAT, equipment and interagency work

Larson described a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle the department obtained through a military lease program and a hydraulic “ram” used to breach barricades safely; he said it reduces risk to personnel during entries and can be fitted with extensions for breaching. The county’s SWAT commander changed: Sergeant Derek Nagorski of the Little Falls Police Department was named commander, Larson said, and the SWAT team includes both Little Falls and sheriff’s-office members.

Programs aimed at reentry and community safety

Sheriff Larson and staff highlighted several programs intended to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for people in custody:

- Project Lifesaver: A transmitter-based tracking wristband for people with Alzheimer’s, autism or similar conditions. Larson said the county currently has six clients; initial setup costs $350 and the monthly fee is about $15.

- ALICE training (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate): The sheriff’s office has offered campus/business tailored training across the county.

- Reentry and treatment programs: The jail hosts Team Challenge via Zoom for incarcerated residents with insurance (three participants at the time of the report), a grief-and-loss counseling program with a volunteer counselor starting the next week, and other faith- and volunteer-run offerings. Larson said volunteers and instructors often draw strong participation.

Volunteer-run creative-writing classes

Becky Olson, a volunteer who teaches creative writing in the jail, described her work with residents who choose to participate. “I do this because I believe everybody has value and a story,” Olson told the board. She said exercises—poetry, rewriting exercises, and sustained feedback—produce measurable enthusiasm among participants and generate writing some inmates submit for a local newspaper contest.

Commissioner questions and follow-up

Commissioners asked about record retention and access to body-camera footage; Larson said footage is stored in a secure cloud, supervisors review incidents and recordings linked to arrests or court matters are locked and retained for set periods. Commissioners also asked whether the body scanner is available to other agencies; Larson said other agencies could use it if requested but, to his knowledge, no outside agencies were using the county’s scanner.

Discussion vs. decisions

This item was a staff annual report and briefing; commissioners did not take formal policy action on the report itself. The presentation included requests for continued support of the office’s programs and equipment; no new funding motions were recorded at the meeting.

Provenance

Evidence for this article comes from the sheriff’s presentation and remarks by Becky Olson in the meeting transcript. Excerpts include Larson’s statement that Narcan usage stopped after scanner implementation and Olson’s remarks about the writing program.