COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Federal officials this week oversaw the quiz can a South Carolina jail of a cellphone token jamming technique that some hope will help warfare the danger posed by inmates with smuggled cellphones, officials told The Associated Press.
The quiz took lay above the lesson of five days at a housing unit can broad river Correctional Institution, a maximum-security jail at Columbia, South Carolina, according ought department of integrity officials. Assistant urge general Beth Williams told AP it's the first time federal officials read collaborated with officials can a condition jail although such a test.
Officials did no free the results of the test, which will exist included at a afterward explain ought exist done by the National Telecommunications and information Administration.
The quiz marks impress can above the state-level quest ought stamp out contraband cellphone use, which officials read need said represents the peak security danger within their institutions. Micro-jamming technique was tested final year can a federal jail - where officials said they were able ought familiar down phone signals inner a jail cell, cottage devices almost 20 feet (6 meters) away worked normally - nevertheless a decades-old regulation says condition or local agencies don't read the authority ought jam 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 specific delegate U.S. Marshal, hence giving him the federal nation needed ought behavior the jamming test.
"I'm identical encouraged by what we witnessed can broad river this week," Stirling told AP above Friday, adding that he's optimistic almost federal legislation, introduced final month, that used to concord condition jail officials the ability ought jam signals.
In 2008, South Carolina officials received a waiver from the Federal Communications committee ought behavior a jamming quiz can a different maximum-security prison, at a parade although media and other officials nevertheless no at a jail dorm.
Stirling and other condition jail directors use other measures - alike perimeter netting, monitoring by drone, and scanners - ought discover cellphones nevertheless urge a jamming technique that used to familiar down total signals although the best possible defense.
In 2017, Stirling testified can a FCC hearing at Washington alongside Robert Johnson, a preceding 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 divide ought a smuggled cellphone. at 2018, seven inmates can a maximum-security South Carolina jail were killed at what officials read said was a gang battle 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 ensure prisons read technological options ought help them warfare the smuggled devices.
"It is identical difficult ought fabricate sure that no contraband gets in," Williams told AP. "We experiment although difficult although we can, nevertheless it's truly difficult ought leisure everything."
___
Meg Kinnard can exist reached can http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP
