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Prison board authorizes five-year maintenance agreement for whole-body scanner using canteen funds
Summary
The Lackawanna County Prison Board voted to authorize a five-year maintenance agreement for the county jail's whole-body scanner, to be paid from the facility's canteen account if no appropriate replacement scanner is available.
The Lackawanna County Prison Board voted to authorize a five-year maintenance agreement for the county jail's whole-body scanner, to be paid from the facility's canteen account if no appropriate replacement scanner is available.
The board considered one-, three- and five-year maintenance options presented by the warden. The maintenance packages would include corrective and preventive maintenance, software upgrades and 24/7 support. The warden told the board the scanner has helped identify attempts to introduce drugs and other contraband and described the equipment as an "effective tool for monitoring and deterring the entry of contraband into the facility." The warden also said choosing a longer agreement was "mostly out of laziness so I don't have to beg every year." (Warden Warren)
Board members asked whether newer scanner models were available and whether the county could trade in the existing unit. The warden said he would obtain price comparisons for replacement units; he estimated current new-unit prices in the broad range discussed at the meeting. After that exchange, a motion was made and seconded to approve a five-year maintenance agreement contingent on there being no suitable new replacement unit; the board approved the motion by voice vote.
The controller's earlier financial report, introduced at the meeting, showed the canteen checking account balance at $567,317.94 and a Pennsylvania Local Government Investment Trust account balance of $969,003.64 that is earning approximately $3,423 monthly and matures in January 2026. The controller also noted $106,327.74 in canteen disbursements during September for inmate benefit, welfare and education; an itemized list accompanied the report.
The board did not specify which of the maintenance terms (one-, three- or five-year) would be selected if a replacement scanner were available; the motion advanced the five-year option only if no replacement unit was found.
The board directed staff to obtain pricing and trade-in information for modern scanner units and to report back at a later date.
