A pass through a full-body scanner similar to those at airport security checkpoints will soon be protocol for inmates entering the Macomb County jail.
The $202,000 scanner is part of a push to crack down on contraband in the facility.
Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham says in recent months there's been an increase in drugs, weapons and other illegal items getting into the jail.
He says the scanner will let employees conduct more thorough searches of inmates.
"It never surprises me. There's contraband that [inmates] will put into their body cavity parts and try and smuggle it in," Wickersham said.
Wickersham says inmate searches with the new scanner will be an addition to the facility's search process and won't replace any current procedures.
The state says there are 20 full body-scanners registered in 17 Michigan facilities, including the Oakland and Livingston county jails and the Livonia and Northville police departments.
