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Jail report: staff say body-concealed fentanyl can evade scanners; purchase cost noted at $206,000
Summary
Jail officials told the committee that while a scanner purchased to detect contraband has likely saved lives, fentanyl concealed inside a person (ingested) can be difficult to detect; the scanner purchase cost was reported as about $206,000.
Jail staff told the Sawyer County Public Safety Committee that scanners and screening help detect contraband but have limits when drugs are concealed inside a person.
In response to a board question about how fentanyl is brought into the jail, the presenter said: "They bring it inside their body." The presenter explained scanners assist but can be challenged when distinguishing objects, gases or solids concealed internally; training and repeated use increase proficiency but equipment is not foolproof.
The presenter also said the department paid roughly $206,000 for the scanner and that the device has likely saved "a life or 2." Committee members acknowledged the device's limitations but said it remains an important tool for inmate and staff safety. The jail report also noted an average October inmate population of 59 and six people on electronic monitoring.
