Lorain County, Ohio – Local law enforcement officials say Ohio inmates have been dying for decades, and officers have also been in danger, all because of a legal loophole.
The issue concerns a state law and how it affects how body scanners are used in jails and detention facilities.
One Lorain County deputy is taking action to address the issue.
This past Cinco de Mayo was one that Lorain County corrections officers will never forget.
“This was a pretty severe overdose as far as overdoses are concerned,” said Lorain County Sheriff’s Office Inspector Ryan Kolegar.
The Lorain County Jail surveillance cameras were recording when two prisoners overdosed at the same time.
Fellow inmates can be seen frantically attempting to get an officer’s attention in the video, while two lifeless bodies lie sprawled on the floor.
“It’s almost all fentanyl,” Kolegar explained.
Within seconds, an officer rushes into the prisoners’ pod and starts performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on one of the inmates.
“Corrections officers were performing CPR, chest compressions, running Ambu bags and providing oxygen to keep these two gentlemen alive,” Kolegar told CNN.
“Narcan was administered and thankfully both inmates survived.”
One of the prisoners eventually awakens, but the other remains unconscious.
He regains consciousness a few moments later.
“Without medical intervention the prognosis is almost always fatal,” Kolegar informed me. “The officers took incredible steps to save these individuals’ lives.”
According to Kolegar, corrections officers are constantly working to stop the flow of contraband into jails, but their efforts are not always successful.
“It’s extremely traumatic. “Especially if you find yourself in a situation where you can’t save someone,” Kolegar explained. “I’ve been there myself.”
Officers across the state say a legal loophole is making their jobs extremely difficult.
“California and Ohio are the only two states in the union that don’t allow us to operate the scanners the way the manufacturers intend,” Kolegar told the audience.
According to Ohio’s Administrative Code, officers can only scan people with their backs to the machine, away from the source of the radiation.
However, both the device’s manufacturer and the officers themselves prefer to scan people sideways.
“If you look at me face to face, you can see your entire body profile. “If you turn to the side, you’re in a much smaller space,” Kolegar explained.
“That gives us a much smaller area with which to look at, and it’s much more likely that we will find an object that isn’t supposed to be there.”
“Those that have worked with the body scanners on the front lines will tell you that we need that leeway to be able to properly detect contraband.” Kolegar went on:
Ohio regulates radiation emissions from body scanners in the same way that it does with X-rays.
However, Kolegar claims that the two are nothing alike.
“I would have to scan you 400 times in a row for you to receive the same amount of radiation that you do from a single X-ray.”
According to Kolegar, savvy criminals have already discovered the scanner’s limitations.
“As we’ve gotten progressively better at stopping the flow of narcotics in the jails, inmates have gotten creative.”
Detecting narcotics or potential weapons protects not only inmates, but also staff members.
“I know that there were issues at some of the past facilities that I worked at where we said, you know, we really wish we could scan someone at a different angle because it would have stopped contraband from coming in,” Kolegar recalled.
That is why Kolegar took action in May, testifying before the state’s Radiation-Generating Equipment Committee.
“Explained why the way the Administrative Code was written was hindering us and potentially endangering lives,” Kolegar told reporters.
The committee took the first step by voting to approve Kolegar’s recommendations, which he believes will make a huge difference.
“It is of the upmost importance that we get this change made.” Kolegar exclaimed.
“It will save lives in the future if they go through with it.”
The committee recently approved code changes that allow officers to scan prisoners according to manufacturer instructions.
The following step is to present the rule to the Ohio Public Health Advisory Board on September 19, and the rule will eventually need to be approved by the legislative Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review.
