Regina Police operate ten holding cells used primarily to sober people during drug-related stints in custody. That population is at high risk of medical emergencies, and monitoring relied on traditional 15-minute visual checks.
GT Global Services installed biometric sensors in tamper-proof containers in all ten cells. The sensors use radar to monitor heart and respiration rates continuously and raise an audio and visual alert when readings fall outside a normal range.
At a glance
Key challenges
- Monitoring that depended on manual 15-minute visual checks
- A custody population at high risk of medical emergencies, including from ingested drugs
- Police staffing shortages
- Budget cuts
- Officer wellness and the cost of a death investigation
- Public perception
What the biometric monitoring system delivered
- Sensors: biometric units installed in tamper-proof containers in all ten holding cells.
- Continuous monitoring: radar-based sensing of heart and respiration rates, around the clock.
- Alerting: audio and visual alarms when readings fall outside a defined range.
- Privacy by design: no cameras and no microphones anywhere in the system.
The result
- Continuous 24/7×365 oversight in place of periodic visual checks
- Non-invasive and private monitoring
- Medical emergencies reduced
An alarm will go off if the person’s vital signs go outside a defined range, indicating they are in distress. Within hours of installation a woman was detected as being in distress, medical intervention occurred and a life was saved.
Staff Sgt Pierre Beauchesne, Regina Police
Responsible for people in custody?
Continuous biometric monitoring, with no cameras and no microphones.
Contact GT Global ServicesRelated: Correctional Facility solutions