News Release – Milwaukee County Board Approves New Body Scanner and K-9 Unit to Increase Safety at Jail

MILWAUKEE – During yesterday’s meeting of the Milwaukee County Board, Supervisors approved a resolution co-authored by Supervisors Sky Z. Capriolo, Deanna Alexander, Kathleen Vincent, Shawn Rolland, Patti Logsdon, Felesia A. Martin, and Willie Johnson Jr., to allocate more than $250,000 for a new state-of-the-art body scanner and an additional trained K-9 to enhance safety at the Milwaukee County Jail.

According to Supervisor Capriolo:

“We know drugs are being smuggled into the jail. We know that even after using Narcan, people in our care have died from drug overdoses,” said Supervisor Sky Z. Capriolo. “A state-of-the-art scanner will highly mitigate the threat of drugs being available inside the jail. Adding a third K-9 will allow each shift to have a non-aggressive breed dog trained to discover drugs hidden in cells or common areas. Voting to approve both of these tools shows our high regard for creating a safer environment inside the jail.

“I sit on both the Audit and Judiciary Law Enforcement and General Services committees. It truly is heartbreaking to hear about any health-related incidents in our jail. When we are presented with solutions, it’s important to act on them as quickly as we can.”

Deputy Sheriff Director David Rugaber added:

“The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, and especially the members who lead and serve in the Milwaukee County Jail would like to thank the County Board for voting overwhelmingly in favor of this funding transfer that will allow the purchase of a state of the art scanner and the addition of a K-9 team. Together, the scanner and the K-9 unit will make the county jail safer for occupants and workers alike, as both will help prevent illicit substances and other contraband from entering the jail, which should lead to a reduction in substance-related health emergencies. This is a win for all of Milwaukee County.”

The funding, which will be reallocated from unspent jail housing funds previously earmarked for an intergovernmental agreement with Racine County, will be used to purchase an advanced body scanner and a third non-aggressive breed K-9. Together, these tools will dramatically improve the County’s ability to intercept contraband and prevent in-custody overdoses and violence.

Since 2020, the Milwaukee County Jail has recorded 175 contraband incidents and administered Narcan 50 times. In 2025 alone, Narcan has been used 5 times, with two of those incidents ending with in-custody deaths. The current body scanner at the jail is outdated and unreliable, and the addition of a third K-9 will ensure each shift has access to a drug-detection dog to screen cells and common areas.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.