UPDATE: Contraband Interdiction Pilot Program (CIP)

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On January 25, 2019, our Union met with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) to discuss the implementation of the Contraband Interdiction Pilot Program (CIP) at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility (SATF) at Corcoran.

The CIP program is anticipated to operate for approximately two years and will utilize contraband interdiction devices such as body image scanning equipment at main entrance points and expand SATF’s canine screening teams.
 

Some of the major details from the negotiations include the following:

  • Management is aware of the screening procedures and process in place in the event employees are delayed in reporting to their duty station. 
  • If an employee is selected for random screening via vehicle canine screening or must undergo additional screening at the body scanner location(s), there is a sign-in form and process to ensure employees are not penalized for delays in reporting to their duty station.
  • Private screening may be requested, and same gender screening will be available. There will be a custody supervisor present during screenings.
  • The body scanning equipment does not use x-ray technology but low-power millimeter waves to operate and does not penetrate the skin to enable detection. The department’s position is the chosen scanning equipment does not pose any adverse health effects based on research and regulatory standards.
  • Resulting images from body scanning equipment are not saved and are of a topical nature which primarily depicts surface skin level anomalies. Only custody supervisors will have access to view more detailed images for alarm resolution or investigatory purposes. These supervisory level images while more detailed, are still topical and will blur out sensitive areas of the body. 
  • If employees have any medical devices or conditions such as an implant, prosthesis etc., which may interfere with the scan, a record of such will need to be provided to management in line with the reasonable accommodation process in order to be accommodated.
  • Employees always have the right to request a union representative be present during screening. Custodial officers will wait a reasonable amount of time for a union representative to be present before screening.