PURPOSE OF ORDER
The purpose of this order is to establish procedures for conducting searches at the Inmate Reception Center (IRC).
SCOPE OF ORDER
This order shall apply to all personnel assigned to, and/or working in any capacity at the IRC.
ORDER
The objectives of searches include:
FACILITY SEARCHES
All pods of Module 231 shall be searched, at a minimum, once per month.
All common areas within IRC should be searched at least once a month for any contraband and weapons. Common areas would include, but are not limited to, the clinic, elevators, holding cells, day rooms, indoor/outdoor recreation areas, hallways, etc.
Custody personnel shall obtain authorization for facility searches from a supervisor of the rank of sergeant or above. All searches of an entire module or pod shall be conducted under the direct supervision of a sergeant. All facility searches shall be logged and signed in the electronic Uniform Daily Activity Log (e-UDAL) by the line sergeant or supervising line deputy. The line sergeant or supervising line deputy shall ensure that an electronic search report is generated and submitted to the watch commander.
All facility search reports shall be processed through the Custody Automated Reporting and Tracking System (CARTS).
The line sergeant or supervising line deputy who supervised the facility search shall remain at the location until the conclusion of the search.
INMATE SEARCHES
Inmates Entering IRC
New inmates to the Inmate Reception Center will be given a pat down search upon intake at Booking Front. Inmates will be directed to empty their pockets, remove any jackets that button or zip up, and take their shoes and socks off. Custody personnel shall search the removed clothing as well as conduct a pat down search of the inmates.
Strip searches or visual cavity searches of new inmates may be conducted according to the procedures delineated in Custody Division Manual (CDM) section 5-08/010.00 “Searches.”
All transgender and intersex searches shall be conducted pursuant to the procedures delineated in CDM section 5-08/010.00 “Searches.”
Every effort shall be made to ensure all new inmates to the IRC will be searched using the LINEV Systems Body Scanners.
If at any time an inmate refuses to participate in the body scanner procedure, the inmate shall be treated as a recalcitrant inmate, per CDM section 7-02/020.00, “Handling Insubordinate, Recalcitrant, Hostile, or Aggressive Inmates.” Custody personnel shall immediately separate the inmate and request a sergeant or supervising line deputy to respond to the location.
Every inmate refusal shall be documented in the electronic Uniform Daily Log (e-UDAL), and the watch commander shall be notified.
If there are no available body scanner trained personnel, the body scanners are inoperable, or any other instance of an inmate not being body scanned (e.g. medical emergency), the search procedures outlined in IRC Unit Order 5-11/000.00, “Inmate Body Scanner” shall be followed, and notifications shall be made to the watch commander and entered into the e-UDAL.
Inmates Returning from Court
Whenever possible, general population inmates housed at IRC or Men’s Central Jail (MCJ) returning to IRC from court shall be searched using the LINEV Systems Body Scanners. For further details refer to Unit Order (UO) 5-11/000.00, “Inmate Body Scanner.”
Personnel shall not conduct a strip search or body cavity search of any inmate scheduled to be released within a 24-hour period, unless authorized by the unit commander.
Special handle inmates shall be searched by escorting personnel from the inmate’s housing unit. Strip searches shall only be conducted by persons of the same gender as the person being searched.
Cross-Gender Search
All strip and visual body cavity searches shall be conducted by personnel of the same gender as the inmate being searched, unless exigent or emergency circumstances exist.
Absent exigent circumstances, all pat down/cursory searches of female inmates shall be performed by female Department personnel.
If there is prior knowledge an inmate is transgender or intersex and a pat down search is required, the search should be conducted by staff of the same gender as the one with which the inmate identifies.
If a cross-gender search is conducted, other than a pat down search, it shall be documented in the electronic Uniform Daily Activity Log (e-UDAL).
Facility Transfers (REMODS)
Whenever inmates return to IRC from another facility other than Men’s Central Jail (MCJ) or Twin Towers Correctional Facility (TTCF), they will be searched. While strip searches are preferable, circumstances may dictate the use of a less thorough search.
Inmate Workers and Random Searches
Inmate workers and unescorted inmates from MCJ or TTCF moving through should be searched on a random and on-going basis. Inmate workers will be searched upon arrival to their work location and searched before being returned to their housing.
Perimeter Searches
A perimeter check of the IRC Lobby will be conducted by the on duty prowler at least twice per shift and noted in the Watch Commander’s Log. The exterior areas of the Inmate Reception Center Lobby include gates, doors, elevators, stairwells, restrooms, television monitors, benches, the outdoor patio, and service windows. They will be checked for any security risks or faults in the structural integrity, and to ensure all are working properly. First floor main control and Twin Towers facility control shall be notified immediately of any security concerns, needs for maintenance, or situations requiring emergent response or action.
Care and Control of Inmate Property
Personnel conducting searches shall take all reasonable measures to ensure the inmates’ property is handled with care. If searching an inmate’s personal and/or county issued property (excluding mattresses), the property should be searched in the presence of the inmate. When all contraband items are removed, the remainder of the property will be returned to the inmate. All personal property listed in CDM sections 5-06/010.05 and 5-06/010.10 (including commissary) that does not fit properly inside the inmate property bag will be considered contraband and will be confiscated and disposed of without compensation.
In order to ensure clean and sanitary housing for all inmates, perishable foods, served with inmate meals, not consumed within a four-hour period will be considered contraband and will be placed in the trash.
Pictures, drawings, etc., determined to be lewd or overly inappropriate shall be properly disposed of in the designated contraband disposal container.
Procedures for Found Contraband
If contraband is identified in an inmate’s body cavity during a strip search or visual body cavity search, personnel shall immediately notify a supervisor (sergeant or higher). Personnel shall verbally encourage the inmate to remove the secreted contraband, but shall not force the inmate to do so.
All actions and procedures following the discovery that an inmate has secreted contraband in a body cavity will be in accordance with CDM section 5-07/000.05, “Contraband Watch Procedures.”
IRC is a processing facility and does not house inmates. Inmates who are placed under contraband watch cannot be kept at IRC once their medical and mental health processing has been completed.
02/20/2026 IRC