COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Federal officials this week oversaw the examination at a South Carolina jail of a cellphone signal jamming technique that some desire will assist campaign the peril posed by inmates with smuggled cellphones, officials told The Associated Press.
The examination took place above 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 lawyer common Beth Williams told AP it's the first time federal officials consume collaborated with officials at a status jail though such a test.
Officials did no free the results of the test, which will be included at a afterward explain ought be done by the National Telecommunications and data Administration.
The examination marks influence at above the state-level quest ought stamp out contraband cellphone use, which officials consume expectation said represents the sumit security peril within their institutions. Micro-jamming technique was tested final year at a federal jail - where officials said they were able ought shut down phone signals inner a jail cell, however devices around 20 feet (6 meters) away worked normally - besides during a decades-old constitution says status or local agencies don't consume the authority ought compress the public airwaves.
South Carolina Corrections Director Bryan Stirling, who though years has spoken out above the dangers posed by the devices smuggled into institutions by the thousands, told AP he was recently deputized though a specific delegate U.S. Marshal, so giving him the federal status needed ought accompany the jamming test.
"I'm identical encouraged by what we witnessed at broad river this week," Stirling told AP above Friday, adding that he's optimistic around federal legislation, introduced final month, that used to agreement status jail officials the genius ought compress 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 though media and other officials besides during no at a jail dorm.
Stirling and other status jail directors utilize other measures - alike perimeter netting, monitoring by drone, and scanners - ought find cellphones besides during persuade a jamming technique that used to shut down complete signals though the best feasible defense.
In 2017, Stirling testified at a FCC hearing at Washington alongside Robert Johnson, a prior South Carolina corrections officer about killed at 2010 at a strike orchestrated by an inmate using an illegal phone.
Also that year, an inmate escaped from a maximum-security jail at South Carolina, thanks at isolate ought a smuggled cellphone. at 2018, seven inmates at a maximum-security South Carolina jail were killed at what officials consume said was a gang campaign above field and contraband including cellphones.
The FCC has shown willingness ought vocation 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 pledge prisons consume technological options ought assist them campaign the smuggled devices.
"It is identical difficult ought create sure that no contraband gets in," Williams told AP. "We attempt though difficult though we can, besides during it's indeed difficult ought halt everything."
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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP
