![280-COMM-Brief--Jail-heart-rate-sensors.jpg 280-COMM-Brief--Jail-heart-rate-sensors.jpg](https://hooversun.com/downloads/36980/download/280-COMM-Brief--Jail-heart-rate-sensors.jpg?cb=013042303e85c3c12be4cc93e7363320&w={width}&h={height})
Photo courtesy of Shelby County Sheriff's Office
Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies work with the Custody Protect heart rate sensor program.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office recently purchased remote heart rate sensors for use at the Shelby County Jail.
The devices already have proved to be potentially lifesaving, with an alarm sounding for the first inmate on which it was used, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff John Samaniego recently approved the purchase of these remote heart rate sensors that are being used on certain at-risk inmates held in custody in the jail.
The heart rate sensors are placed in secure bands and then affixed to the at-risk inmates on their ankle or wrist. The system from 4Sight Labs, known as Custody Protect, works by using Bluetooth technology to transmit real-time data between the sensors and electronic monitoring tablets. When deputies receive a notification that an inmate’s heart rate is outside an acceptable range, deputies and medical staff can respond in seconds.
“In my time as sheriff the inmates who arrive at our jail are increasingly entering our facility off the streets more physically ill and experiencing the challenges of mental illness at a higher rate than anytime I can recall in my career,” Samaniego said in a news release. “This product will be deployed to assist in our mission to administer a safe and secure facility with the inmate’s health and well-being in mind. In the first 48 hours of deploying Custody Protect, we are already seeing the benefits the product has to offer.”