An Intercept Tek84 scanner used for high-security contraband detection is now operating at the Marquette County jail. It was purchased with a Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Law Enforcement $150,000 grant awarded to the Marquette County Sheriff’s Office. The money comes from the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding Grant Program available from the U.S. Department of Justice. The application for the grant was initiated by Sheriff Joseph Konrath and researched and assembled by Deputy Brittany Beahm.
The Intercept Tek84 is a whole-body thermal scanner that also reads body temperature. The application read, “To continue our effort for the safety and security of our correctional officers and inmates from the contagious disease (COVID-19), incorporating a Whole-Body Thermal Security Scanner will greatly improve the initial screening of newly incarcerated inmates for the detection of COVID-19. If the inmate body temperature is higher than normal the inmate can be placed in medical isolation pending the results of a COVID-19 test.”
The application described the need for the scanner as, “The Marquette County Sheriff’s Office is the only 24/7 law enforcement agency in Marquette County. The Marquette County jail is the only Department of Corrections approved correctional facility in Marquette County. The level of calls for service and subjects getting arrested for criminal violations has increased the risk of the COVID-19 virus spreading and affecting the correctional staff and inmates incarcerated in the jail. The Jail population has increased substantially since a year ago when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit. The court opening more and more for in-person hearings has increased the risk of the COVID-19 virus spreading as defendants are getting sentenced to serve time in the Marquette County Jail. For the first time in a year, the Marquette County Circuit Court had five jury trials scheduled in May. The criminal justice system is busier and having a Whole-Body Security Thermal Scanner in the jail for the initial assessment of COVID-19 will no doubt help with the detection of COVID-19 and stop the possibility of the virus spreading throughout the jail affecting the correctional staff and inmates.”