Elias Husamudeen president of the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association said that a recently released video that shows a mother using her toddler to transfer contraband to her incarcerated husband is exactly the reason why Mayor de Blasio and his administration need to install non-ionizing scanners that are specifically designed to detect non-metallic objects.
In the video you can see the mother transfer an object from her pants to the child's pants before handing the child to her boyfriend, completing the delivery of the contraband.
An anonymous source at Rikers Island said the footage which was captured in a private family visiting room illustrates the constant pressure the jail staff is under.
Husamudeen told the New York Post, "This video is a perfect illustration of the extreme lengths visitors will go to smuggle jail contraband, regardless of the consequences."
In 2016 correction officers arrested over 400 spouses, family members, and friends who attempted to sneak contraband into the New York City penal system.