American Rescue Plan Act grant funds will be used to purchase a $188,000 body scanner with a thermal reader for Mesa Police Department to help reduce the flow of drugs into the city’s inmate holding facility.
The Mesa City Council on Aug. 29 voted unanimously on a consent agenda that included authorizing the purchase using the OMNIA Partners/Port of Portland cooperative contract with Safeware Inc. for the scanner.
Presently inmates are pat-searched by Mesa Police Department personnel. The full-body scanner will detect concealed narcotics and weapons and can detect substances if they are concealed under clothes, in body cavities or in prosthetic devices, Business Services Director Edward Quedens and Procurement Administrator Kristy Garcia said in a memo to the council.
“Its capabilities are much wider than a physical search by a detention officer and will ensure the safety and security of officers, inmates, the facility and the public,” they wrote.
The equipment will be used to scan inmates when they are booked into the city’s holding facility, Detention Administrator Christina Vangorden said at the Mesa City Council’s Aug. 25 work session.
“I’d like to be able to find more drugs on people — especially fentanyl; it’s a huge increase that we’re finding on people when they are coming through,” she said.
“It’s going to make it easier to find some of the small concealable items. It’s not going to find everything; it’s just another layer to be able to help us reduce those people who are overdosing inside the facility,” Vangorden said.
“Council knows we’ve had some recent cases where that’s been a tragedy,” City Manager Chris Brady said at the work session.
“I am 100% on board, I totally understand the responsibility we have when we have people in custody and so I’m very supportive of this,” Mayor John Giles said at the work session.
Richard Dyer Managing Editor | East Valley @RHDyer
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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