Orange County approves $240,000 body scanner for Santa Ana intake center

Orange County supervisors unanimously approved $240,000 from Supervisor Don Wagner’s office budget for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to purchase and install a new body scanner at the Intake Release Center in Santa Ana. The county said the vote was taken June 23.

The sheriff’s department says the Intake Release Center processes people being booked into and released from the Orange County Jail system, and the facility is located at 550 N. Flower Street in Santa Ana. That makes the scanner a county custody-operations upgrade, not a Santa Ana city spending item.

In its press release, the county said newer scanner technology at the IRC has better detection for narcotics and weapons and can make it easier for deputies to identify contraband. The practical effect is narrower than a jail overhaul, but it is a concrete public-safety equipment upgrade at a local facility residents pass by every day.

The county has not said in the materials reviewed when the scanner will be installed or put into service. For now, the key takeaway is simple: Orange County has committed discretionary funds to improve screening at a Santa Ana jail-intake facility.

Sources

• Orange County Third District press release
• Orange County Board of Supervisors June 23, 2026 agenda item
• Orange County Sheriff: Intake Release Center location page