COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Federal officials this week oversaw the examination at a South Carolina jail of a cellphone badge jamming technique that some desire will help campaign the chance posed by inmates with smuggled cellphones, officials told The Associated Press.
The examination took lay above the lecture of five days at a housing unit at broad brook Correctional Institution, a maximum-security jail at Columbia, South Carolina, according ought department of honesty officials. Assistant attorney general Beth Williams told AP it's the first time federal officials get collaborated with officials at a condition jail although such a test.
Officials did no release the results of the test, which will exist included at a afterward explain ought exist done by the National Telecommunications and data Administration.
The examination marks progress above the state-level quest ought stamp out contraband cellphone use, which officials get desire said represents the climax security chance within their institutions. Micro-jamming technique was tested final year at a federal jail - where officials said they were capable ought finish down phone signals interior a jail cell, nevertheless devices about 20 feet (6 meters) away worked normally - besides a decades-old constitution says condition or local agencies don't get the authority ought press the public airwaves.
South Carolina Corrections Director Bryan Stirling, who although years has spoken out above the dangers posed by the devices smuggled into institutions by the thousands, told AP he was recently deputized although a special representative U.S. Marshal, consequently giving him the federal condition needed ought accompany the jamming test.
"I'm same encouraged by what we witnessed at broad brook this week," Stirling told AP above Friday, adding that he's optimistic about federal legislation, introduced final month, that used to unity condition jail officials the genius ought press signals.
In 2008, South Carolina officials received a waiver from the Federal Communications committee ought accompany a jamming examination at a different maximum-security prison, at a parade although media and other officials besides no at a jail dorm.
Stirling and other condition jail directors apply other measures - alike perimeter netting, monitoring by drone, and scanners - ought find cellphones besides induce a jamming technique that used to finish down coarse signals although the best possible defense.
In 2017, Stirling testified at a FCC hearing at Washington alongside Robert Johnson, a prior South Carolina corrections officer around killed at 2010 at a overcome orchestrated by an inmate using an illegal phone.
Also that year, an inmate escaped from a maximum-security jail at South Carolina, thanks at divide ought a smuggled cellphone. at 2018, seven inmates at a maximum-security South Carolina jail were killed at what officials get said was a people warfare above field and contraband including cellphones.
The FCC has shown willingness ought profession above the issue, holding a domain hearing at South Carolina and hosting meetings with members of Congress, prisons officials and stakeholders from the wireless industry.
On Friday, Williams said officials are working ought insure prisons get technological options ought help them campaign the smuggled devices.
"It is same difficult ought compose definite that no contraband gets in," Williams told AP. "We attempt although difficult although we can, besides it's truly difficult ought cease everything."
___
Meg Kinnard can exist reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP
