Halifax County approves noncompetitive purchase of body scanner, funds schematic design and hires architect for new detention center

The Halifax County Board of Commissioners on March 10 authorized a noncompetitive purchase of a body scanner for the county detention center, approved a capital appropriation to begin schematic design for a new detention facility and awarded an architectural contract to Moseley Architects.

County Assistant Manager Turner Rollins told commissioners that the county received a $225,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to purchase the body scanner and asked the board to approve a noncompetitive procurement because the sheriff’s office had identified a specific model with features it requires.

Rollins said the proposed model — the TEC84 Interceptor used by multiple North Carolina counties — uses low-dose X-ray technology to detect concealed items, reduces the need for invasive searches and integrates with jail management systems. Jail administrator Matt Brown described…