New body scanner will reduce drug poisonings, strip searches: EPS
Police in Edmonton have a new $158,000 body scanner machine to search people entering its Detainee Management Unit (DMU).
The scanner went into use in May and is the first of its kind to be used in a Canadian police facility, Edmonton Police Service said Friday.
“Not only are there many safety benefits for our employees, but those in our custody will be much safer if we can see and secure anything detainees have hidden, not to mention a reduction in the unfortunate, but sometimes necessary invasiveness of a strip search,” said Acting Insp. Jason Altmiks.
“We’re pleased that we have this innovative way of providing an alternative search process for our detainees and our members.”
The new technology has already proved effective, EPS said. Within days of its first use officers were able to locate drugs that were hidden by a detainee "that would have caused an overdose."
The scanner will only be used on adults who are able to stand still for 10 seconds and after an initial medical screening is complete, EPS said.
The machine is located at the service's Northwest Campus across the road from the Edmonton Remand Centre.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.