Scannergate: Suicide by barcode

How did an inmate in Los Angeles County jail commit suicide when he was being checked by sheriff's deputies regularly?  Because the deputies were never there, that's how.  The administration had installed electronic checkpoints with bar codes at regular spots in the jail to make sure the checks were actually carried out.  But some deputies, apparently too lazy to do the job they were paid for,  had a copy of the barcode which they just scanned in at their desks.  Check out the story at Los Angeles Times.