Screening is not one purchase. It is five layers, and most facilities buy three of them and wonder why contraband still gets in.
We sell to sheriffs' departments, state DOCs, county jails and federal detention contractors, and the same conversation happens most weeks. A facility has a walk-through detector at intake, a drawer of handcuffs, and a purchase order waiting to be written — and a contraband problem that has not moved in two years. The gear is rarely the issue. The gap is almost always a layer nobody budgeted for.
This is how we walk an agency through it, in the order contraband actually travels. Everything referenced here is stocked and quotable through our Correctional Security Equipment catalogue.
1. Contraband Control Is a Layered Problem, Not a Product
Contraband enters through people, through property, and through the mail and delivery stream. A single technology covers exactly one of those routes. A walk-through detector at intake is excellent at finding a shank and completely blind to fentanyl on a sheet of paper. A drug identification kit tells you what a residue is and tells you nothing about the razor in a waistband.
The facilities that reduce incidents treat screening as five layers: perimeter screening, close and seated screening, substance detection, restraint and movement control, and officer protection when the first four fail. Budget the layers, not the products.
2. Layer One — Walk-Through Screening at the Perimeter
Every controlled entry point — staff, visitors, intake, work release — needs a fixed screening position. This is the layer agencies most often own already, and most often own in the wrong configuration.
Two specification questions decide the purchase, and both get missed. First, ADA compliance: if your facility screens visitors, you need a passage that accommodates wheelchairs, which is why the PD 6500i in its ADA-compliant configuration exists as a separate model rather than an accessory. Second, environment: a sally port or an outdoor screening tent is not an air-conditioned lobby, and an IP65-rated enclosure is the difference between a five-year service life and a warranty claim.
The Garrett PD 6500i is the unit we quote most for detention work. Where budget is the binding constraint, the MZ 6100 covers the same job at a lower entry point. For property, parcels and the mail stream — the route that has grown fastest — screening moves to X-ray inspection, including the 3DX-RAY AXIS-CXi cabinet system.
3. Layer Two — Handheld and Seated Screening
A walk-through detector localises nothing. It tells an officer that something metallic crossed the plane, and then the officer needs a second tool to find it without an invasive search. That is the handheld layer, and it is the cheapest meaningful upgrade in this entire guide.
The PD 6500i pairs with the a handheld scanner, the standard against which most agency specifications are written. For post-level issue where units get dropped, lost and replaced, the UZI handheld detector puts a working scanner in every officer's hand for less than the cost of a single missed weapon.
Then the layer almost nobody budgets for: seated screening. Body-cavity and under-clothing concealment is not detectable by a wand pass, and a strip search is a staffing, liability and dignity problem all at once. A metal detecting chair screens a seated subject non-intrusively in seconds, which is why they appear in intake and visitation areas of facilities that have had a serious incident. It is a five-figure line item that replaces a procedure nobody wants to defend in court.
4. Layer Three — Substance Detection: Alcohol, Narcotics, Explosives
Metal detection does nothing here. Substances need their own layer, and it splits three ways.
Alcohol. Pruno, diverted hand sanitiser and staff-side testing all point at the same tool. The AlcoBlow handheld breath alcohol tester is a passive screening unit — no mouthpiece per subject, which matters when you are testing a housing unit rather than one individual. Note the lead time on this one before you build it into a deadline.
Narcotics. The question in a jail is rarely "is there a substance" but "what is it, and do I have probable cause". Presumptive identification kits like the Mistral drug identification and narcotic residue kits give an officer a defensible field answer on residue. Where volume justifies an instrument instead of consumables, the DetectaChem SEEKER handheld and the SecPro R20DB desktop detector cover drugs and explosives on the same platform.
Explosives and trace. Mail screening and courthouse-adjacent facilities carry a threat profile jails historically did not. The handheld explosives and narcotics detector and the Scintrex Trace E3500 sit in our explosive detection range for exactly that reason.
5. Layer Four — Restraints, Rigid and Medical
Restraints are where specification errors turn into injuries and lawsuits, and where "we just buy handcuffs" costs the most.
Rigid restraints come in patterns, not sizes. Hinged cuffs limit rotation and are the standard for higher-risk movement; chain-link cuffs offer more compliance comfort for routine transport. High-security leg irons and waist chains exist because a court appearance and a cell-to-shower move are not the same threat picture. Our handcuff and restraint range is filterable by pattern for that reason — chain link, hinged, leg iron, waist chain, high security and oversize.
Medical and soft restraints are a different discipline entirely. If your facility has a health services unit, a mental health wing or a suicide-watch protocol, rigid steel is the wrong tool and in many jurisdictions an indefensible one. That is the Humane Restraint line — leather locking wrist restraints, nylon limb holders, bed restraint kits and transport belts, built for clinical settings where the subject is a patient as well as an inmate. We hold 170 products in that range because detention healthcare buys differently from custody.
6. Layer Five — Stun Technologies and Officer Protection
When the first four layers fail, the last one keeps staff intact.
Our stun technologies range covers escorted-movement and cell-extraction scenarios: the O-Mega SB-120 stun baton for reach, the prisoner stun vest and anti-escape belt for high-risk transport, and the Stun Tech anti-riot shield for team entry. Alongside them sit conventional batons — the ASP Talon Infinity being the pattern most agencies standardise on.
Officer protection is the layer that gets cut first and regretted fastest. Paulson riot face shields — including spit-shield configurations for transport — and the SecPro police riot helmet are the minimum for a cell-extraction team. The full range sits in riot gear and body armor.
The Lineup at Security Pro USA
| Layer | Representative unit | Entry price |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-through screening | Garrett MZ 6100 | $3,995 |
| Walk-through, ADA | Garrett PD 6500i ADA | $6,895 |
| Handheld screening | UZI handheld detector | $90 |
| Seated screening | Boss II detecting chair | $9,400 |
| Alcohol screening | AlcoBlow breath tester | $455 |
| Narcotic identification | Mistral 01004 kit | $205 |
| Drug & explosive detection | SecPro R20DB desktop | Quote only |
| Rigid restraint | Peerless 801C hinged | $70 |
| High-security restraint | Peerless 703CHS leg iron | $312 |
| Medical restraint | Humane locking wrist restraint | $135 |
| Stun technologies | Stun Tech anti-riot shield | $1,425 |
| Officer protection | Paulson DK6 face shield | $197 |
Prices shown are current entry points for the configuration linked. Multi-unit and multi-site pricing is quoted, not listed — a twelve-facility restraint standardisation does not price like a single cuff.
Buying on Contract
We sell to federal, state, local and commercial buyers, and we quote against a purchase order. Security Pro USA is a GSA Schedule holder under contract GS-07F-0577T. Not every SKU in this guide sits on that contract, so confirm GSA availability and contract pricing with our sales team before you cite the contract number on a requisition. Details on our agency purchasing page.
Practical notes that save a procurement cycle: capital screening equipment such as walk-through detectors and detecting chairs ships freight and needs a delivery contact and dock or lift-gate information on the PO. Consumable detection kits have shelf lives, so order against a usage rate rather than a budget ceiling. And several units in the substance-detection layer carry manufacturer lead times measured in weeks — tell us your in-service date and we will tell you honestly whether it is achievable.
Returns run 30 days from delivery with an RMA. Note that personal protective equipment and ballistic items are non-returnable, which is standard across this industry for reasons of chain of custody — verify sizing and specification before ordering those lines.
Why Agencies Call Us for Corrections
Because we hold the whole stack. A facility upgrading intake screening usually also needs restraints for the movement that follows, a substance kit for what the wand cannot find, and face shields for the extraction team. Splitting that across four vendors means four POs, four lead times and four people to chase when one line slips.
We have supplied this category for years and we will tell you when you do not need something. If your contraband problem is arriving in the mail, a second walk-through detector is not the answer, and we would rather say so and quote you the X-ray cabinet.
Shop Correctional Security Equipment → or request an agency quote →
Frequently asked questions
What screening equipment does a county jail actually need at minimum?
At minimum, a walk-through metal detector at every controlled entry point, a handheld scanner per screening post to localise what the walk-through flags, and a presumptive drug identification kit. That covers people and residue. If your facility receives mail or parcels directly, add X-ray inspection, because no metal detector screens paper.
Do we need the ADA version of a walk-through metal detector?
If you screen visitors or members of the public, yes. ADA-compliant units are built with a wider passage to accommodate wheelchairs and mobility aids, and it is a separate model rather than a retrofit — the Garrett PD 6500i is sold in both standard and ADA-compliant configurations for that reason.
What is a metal detecting chair for, and is it worth the cost?
It screens a seated subject non-intrusively, detecting concealment that a wand pass cannot reach. Facilities buy them to reduce reliance on strip searches in intake and visitation, which is a staffing, liability and dignity consideration as much as a detection one. It is a five-figure purchase that replaces a procedure that is difficult to defend.
Can we screen for alcohol and drugs with the same device?
No. Breath alcohol screening and narcotic identification are different technologies. Alcohol needs a breath tester such as the AlcoBlow; narcotics need either presumptive identification kits for residue or an instrument such as the DetectaChem SEEKER or SecPro R20DB, which do cover drugs and explosives together.
What is the difference between rigid restraints and medical restraints?
Rigid restraints — handcuffs, leg irons, waist chains — are custody equipment for controlling movement. Medical or soft restraints such as the Humane Restraint line are clinical equipment for health services units, mental health wings and suicide-watch protocols, where steel is the wrong tool and often an indefensible one. Most facilities need both, bought by different departments.
Can we buy this on a purchase order or GSA contract?
Yes. Security Pro USA quotes against purchase orders for federal, state, local and commercial buyers, and holds GSA Schedule contract GS-07F-0577T. Not every product is on that contract, so confirm GSA availability and contract pricing with our sales team before citing the contract on a requisition.
How long does correctional screening equipment take to deliver?
Restraints and handheld units typically ship from stock. Capital equipment such as walk-through detectors, detecting chairs and X-ray cabinets ships freight on a manufacturer lead time, and several substance-detection units carry lead times measured in weeks. Give us your required in-service date with the quote request and we will confirm what is achievable.
Detection equipment reduces risk; it does not eliminate it. Metal detection does not detect non-metallic contraband, and presumptive drug identification kits indicate the probable presence of a substance and are not confirmatory laboratory analysis. Restraint equipment must be applied in accordance with your agency's use-of-force and medical restraint policy and applicable law. Verify that the model and configuration you select meets your agency's requirements before purchase. Sales of certain items are restricted to law enforcement, corrections, military and authorised agencies and are subject to Security Pro USA's terms of service.
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