Clay County detention director wants new body scanner to catch jail contraband

Clay County Detention Director Chris Coldiron is pushing to get an X-ray body scanner inside the jail.

Coldiron said it’s important to catch contraband before it becomes a public safety issue.

He said he’s seen people get creative when it comes to smuggling contraband into the jail.

“I remember in 1998, we had an inmate, and he had small baggies of cocaine sewn into the waistband of his underwear. So, when you do a patdown, you wouldn’t feel it,” said Coldiron.

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Duval, St. Johns, Putnam and Alachua counties already have body scanners to help detect contraband.
The machines cost about $150,000.

“Unfortunately, it either comes from the taxpayers or it comes from our inmate welfare fund,” said Coldiron.

It’s one of several changes Coldiron said are necessary to make the jail more secure.

He also hopes to upgrade the jail’s surveillance camera system.

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