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BODY ORIFICE SCANNING
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37. BODY ORIFICE SCANNING
A new high sensitivity metal detection technology called B.O.S.S. has been developed to detect small objects concealed in anal, vaginal, nasal and oral cavities. B.O.S.S. is an acronym for Body Orifice Security Scanner.
It uses a safe, very reliable non-intrusive, non-contact search technique. B.O.S.S., shown in fig. 29, is currently used in prisons, jails and border control applications.
The technology was originally developed primarily for prisons, jails and court holding pens. However, because it is capable of detecting very small quantities of precious metals it also has potential in loss prevention applications such as precious metal mining, refining and jewelry manufacturing.
In corrections applications B.O.S.S. increases the safety of both corrections officers and members of the inmate population.
It deters against the ingress of weapons and the incidence of stabbings and slashings. Some facilities use it to check both visitors and inmates. Because it can be easily moved it can be used to conduct spot checks throughout the complex.
It also cuts time and expense in facilities where the rules dictate that an inmate must be transported to an external medical center for a cavity search.
From an administrative standpoint, paperwork is minimized and potential law suites arising from manual searches are eliminated.
Its cost is very low relative to micro dose X-ray equipment and no court order is needed in those states where the use of X-rays are limited.
At corrections facilities where BOSS is in use, both male and female inmates have been caught carrying concealed razor blades.
figures 29.
figures 30.
B.O.S.S. provides a much higher level of detection than either walk-through or hand held detectors. It also detects contraband objects such as handcuff keys, paper clips, knives, bullets, shanks, nails, drill bits and tools.
It can detect drugs or other materials stashed in containers made of metal, or metal foil. Figure 30 shows some typical articles that are targeted. Ferrous and non-ferromagnetic metals and alloys are detected.
The screening process is very fast. The inmate simply moves his or her chin towards the sensor shown in fig. 31 and their mouth and nasal regions are automatically scanned by a very low intensity magnetic field.
As they sit in the chair a highly sensitive measurement sensor instantaneously scans the lower cavity or cavities. The entire search takes about five seconds. The sensitivities of the lower and upper channels can be adjusted independently by the user.
figure 31.
A chair configuration is used because it provides optimum positioning of the subject and efficient measurement geometry for body cavity searches. Relative to a walk-through detector, the distance between the transmitter and the object and the object and the receiver sensor is very compact. The excellent magnetic coupling and superior interference rejection permits a high level of sensitivity and measurement precision.
In the case of most walk-through detectors, detection is least efficient down the centerline of the archway and is, therefore, poorly suited for detecting objects that are carried in body cavities. Detectability is further impacted by the orientation of the object relative to the archway’s transmitter and receiver coils. A razor blade or knife shaped object is most likely to be carried in an unfavorable orientation.
By way of contrast, the magnetic field patterns generated by B.O.S.S. are optimal at exciting objects in the orientation they are normally carried. Also, unlike walk-through detection technology, B.O.S.S. uses a unique combination of static and dynamic detection techniques. This eliminates object transit speed as a measurement variable. Alarms occur if the object is moving or stationary and the unit remains in a state of alarm for the duration that the object is within the detection field. This true non-motion detection technique is an important breakthrough.
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