For Immediate Release
Date: October 17, 2022

Second Body Scanner Installed and Dedicated to Detainees

The Sandoval County Detention Center now has a second body scanner in its facility, solely dedicated to detainees. In making the announcement, Warden Gilbert V. Armendariz shared, “This installation of a second body scanner demonstrates the County’s continuous effort to provide increased safety measures for those who visit, work, or are detained in our facility. While one scanner is sufficient in a detention center this size, we appreciate the ability to perform our work at this higher level of operation.” The goal of this equipment is to detect and subsequently prevent contraband from coming into the facility.

The body scanners are in separate locations in the detention center. One is in the lobby and serves employees, vendors, and visitors. The second is within the secured area of the facility and is dedicated to detainee use. County Manager Wayne Johnson said, “Public safety is a key responsibility of Sandoval County government, and assuring that our Detention Center has equipment that exceeds general standards reflects our commitment to our residents, employees, and those within the Detention Center’s care.”

The Sandoval County Detention Center has the capacity for 511 detainees. A $5M renovation was completed in May 2022. This second body scanner is in addition to that renovation, which included a new camera system, cell doors, plumbing, air conditioning, paint, and additional eight-foot barbed-wire fencing along the southern perimeter of the facility.

Sandoval County, the fastest-growing county in New Mexico, encompasses 3,714 square miles of diverse geography and has a population of approximately 151,000 people. It includes the incorporated municipalities of Bernalillo, Cuba, Corrales, Jemez Springs, Rio Rancho, San Ysidro, and the Town of Cochiti Lake as well as numerous unincorporated communities, and all or portions of 12 Indian Pueblos and Tribal Nations.