COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Federal officials this week oversaw the examination at a South Carolina jail of a cellphone symbol jamming technique that some desire will aid campaign the danger posed by inmates with smuggled cellphones, officials told The Associated Press.
The examination took lay at the lesson of five days at a housing unit at broad river Correctional Institution, a maximum-security jail at Columbia, South Carolina, according ought department of integrity officials. Assistant attorney commonplace Beth Williams told AP it's the first time federal officials gorge collaborated with officials at a status jail although such a test.
Officials did no liberate the results of the test, which will be included at a afterward clarify ought be done by the National Telecommunications and news Administration.
The examination marks impress at on the state-level quest ought stamp out contraband cellphone use, which officials gorge wish said represents the sumit security danger within their institutions. Micro-jamming technique was tested final year at a federal jail - where officials said they were capable ought entire down phone signals inside a jail cell, nevertheless devices almost 20 feet (6 meters) away worked normally - besides a decades-old constitution says status or local agencies don't gorge the authority ought press the public airwaves.
South Carolina Corrections Director Bryan Stirling, who although years has spoken out at the dangers posed by the devices smuggled into institutions by the thousands, told AP he was recently deputized although a special delegate U.S. Marshal, therefore giving him the federal condition needed ought accompany the jamming test.
"I'm identical encouraged by what we witnessed at broad river this week," Stirling told AP at Friday, adding that he's optimistic almost federal legislation, introduced final month, that used to give status jail officials the ability 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 status jail directors employ other measures - alike perimeter netting, monitoring by drone, and scanners - ought discover cellphones besides attorney a jamming technique that used to entire down vulgar 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 approximately killed at 2010 at a thrash 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 gorge said was a masses campaign at domain and contraband including cellphones.
The FCC has shown willingness ought occupation at 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 oath prisons gorge technological options ought aid them campaign the smuggled devices.
"It is identical difficult ought create certain that no contraband gets in," Williams told AP. "We attempt although difficult although we can, besides it's indeed difficult ought relief everything."
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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP
