Maryland prison expected to test out cell phone jamming equipment

Prisons have been known to hide plenty of contraband within their walls for inmates to stash away from officers. One of the most prized forbidden possessions are cell phones that can be used to commit crimes within the prison. In a step to try and combat the growing problem nationwide, corrections officers in Maryland will begin testing out signal-jamming equipment in an attempt to show Congress that the technology can be used to thwart inmates. One of the main objectives to prove with this test is to show that these cell phone jammers can be used inside a prison without potentially interfering with emergency response signals which is of concern to the Federal Communication Commission. Back in July, corrections directors in 26 states signed a petition to the FCC in a move to ask federal regulators to install jamming equipment in state penitentiaries. The FCC will ultimately be the deciding factor that can provide authorities the power to use them – unfortunately, a bipartisan bill that was approved in the Senate still needs to wait on action by the House. Instead of waiting to find an outcome, may prisons have instituted using dogs trained to sniff out handsets.

source: Mobiledia via Textually