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Inmate Reception Center Unit Orders / Chapter 8 - Miscellaneous Line Procedures

8-14/000.00 - Facility, Inmate, and Perimeter Searches


7-18/000.00 - 180 Day Early Release
8-16/000.00 - Facility Security and Inspection Plan

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:

 

  • Controlling the intake of contraband into the facility;
  • Recovering missing or stolen property;
  • Preserving internal order, and the security and safety of both inmates and custodial personnel;
  • Ensuring inmates identified as potentially suicidal or at risk of self-harm do not possess items that would enable them to harm themselves; and

 

FACILITY SEARCHES

 

All pods of Module 231 shall be searched, at a minimum, of 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 in the front, and take their shoes and socks off.  Custody personnel will 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 following

CDM 5-08/010.00 Searches.

 

All transgender and intersex searches shall be conducted pursuant to CDM 5-08/010.00 Searches.

 

Whenever possible, new inmates to the IRC will be searched using the Smith Detection B-SCAN (i.e. body scanner).  For further detail refer to Unit Order (UO) 5-11/000.00 Inmate Body Scanner.

 

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 Smith Detection B-SCAN.  For further detail 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 will be searched by escorting personnel from the inmate’s housing unit.  Strip searches will only be conducted by persons of the same sex 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 search, unless exigent or emergency circumstances exist.  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 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 IRC are an acknowledged means of contraband transfer throughout the jail system.  Therefore these inmates should be searched on an aggressively 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 Watch Commander’s Log.  The exterior areas of the Inmate Reception Center Lobby includes gates, doors, elevator, stairwell, restrooms, television monitors, benches, outdoor patio, and service windows.  They will be checked for any security risks or fault 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 a body cavity of an inmate 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 Directive 16-001, which specifically addresses the procedures for contraband watch.

 

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.