ANNAPOLIS, MD Governor Martin O’Malley announced that Maryland has received $350,000 in federal funds to intensify the effort to tackle the problem of cell phones in Baltimore prisons. The competitive federal grant is designed to fund “innovative strategies for confronting emerging or chronic systemic issues.”
The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) is receiving the funds from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) of the U. S. Department of Justice. Maryland has become a national leader in developing strategies to fight illegal cell phones in prisons. Many of these efforts focused on close partnerships linking prosecutors, prison intelligence unit investigators, and forensic cell phone data extraction and analysis, all efforts cited as “innovative” by BJA when awarding the grant.
“Protecting and improving public safety in our neighborhoods and communities is the most important obligation we have as public servants,” said Governor O’Malley. “The use of cell phones by inmates is a significant threat to public safety and these additional funds will bolster our efforts to combat illegal cell phone use inside our prisons and protect our neighbors and families in communities across Maryland. I appreciate the steadfast commitment of our Congressional delegation and their efforts in helping secure the grant funding.”
The grant will be used to fund the placement of a dedicated part-time assistant state’s attorney in Baltimore City, two investigators in DPSCS’ Internal Investigative Unit, and one support staffer. Their goal will be to reduce prison corruption and gang activity through enhanced prosecution, investigation, and inter-agency cooperation.
The funds will also bolster ongoing coordinated efforts between Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein and DPSCS to proactively prosecute inmates not only for the possession of cell phones, but to prioritize cases to pursue violent gang members who use cell phones to further criminal enterprises. It will also target corrupt prison staff who enable inmates to acquire cell phones.
“For too long, criminals have continued to operate out of prison through smuggled cell phones,” said Senator Barbara Mikulski. “With this important federal investment, Baltimore prison wardens will have another tool to combat illegal cell phone use on the inside and protect our neighbors and families on the outside. As Chairwoman of the Senate subcommittee tasked with funding crime preventing programs, I am pleased to have put money in the federal checkbook to make our neighborhoods safer and give prison officials the tools they need.”
“Too many inmates are using contraband cell phones to harass witnesses and victims and orchestrate crimes behind prison walls, defying prison rules and law enforcement,” said Senator Ben Cardin. “This grant will crack down on cell phone use in our prisons, reducing crime and ultimately increasing safety on Baltimore’s streets.”
“In too many instances, the use of cell phones and other contraband enables incarcerated defendants to continue their criminal activity, often with violent results,” said Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein. “This grant provides much-needed assistance in our efforts to combat these criminal enterprises. We thank Governor O’Malley and GOCCP for their innovative work on behalf of our city and citizens.”
This grant is the latest development in the State’s innovative and aggressive efforts to tackle this issue, including training its own cell phone sniffing K-9 Units, investing $1 million into prison entrance security technology, and developing correctional intelligence efforts and cell phone data extraction and analysis capabilities. In 2009, the DPSCS opened lines of communication with the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s office to improve cell phone investigations and prosecutions. That includes training of DOC staffers by the State’s Attorney’s office in ways to build stronger cases leading to more prosecutions and convictions.
The more intense focus on cell phone interdiction has paid off, with a 75% increase in interdicted phones found in FY2011vs FY2007 statewide, with 882 cell seized Baltimore City’s corrections facilities. More importantly, the number of cell phones found has likely leveled off in the last two years, meaning fewer are getting in from a high of over 1,600 in 2009.
5 comments:
No matter what the cause might be, it seems both State and Federal Government always uses the cause for SPENDING MORE MONEY and creating new departments and or positions.
Why not simply put a BLOCK on prison areas so that the signal cannot go out or in?
All this technology but we still need to hire a few people to address the problem.
I totally agree with Anon 9:30!
Why do us taxpayers have to spend millions of dollars to solve a problem that could be solved a whole lot cheaper.
I don't understand why they can't just put the rule in place and during the searches, confiscate any and all phones, period. Then, we wouldn't have to pay any additional and some people would have to start doing their jobs!
I agree also, if they can't keep cell phones out obviously the inmates can get anything they want. And some still want to raise taxes when the gov continues to spend money on this kind of foolishness.
Guards smuggle the majority of drugs and other contraband, which is a system almost impossible to stop. Soooooo, just install the cell phone signal blocker to cover the entire prison....probably would cost a few thousand and will absolutely stop ALL cell phone signals. BUT, instead our politicians think we need to spend $350,000 to TRY to "improve" the efforts to stop (read: slow down...) cell phone smuggling. Arte they REALLY that stupid??? Or is some politician's friend getting ready to get a big, fat contract??
I do agree with the cell phone signal blocker comments here, but there are a few things to consider:
1) The signals are blocked by RF jamming, you can't stop the jamming signal at the edge of the prison property, nearby businesses, neighbors, and even cell phones in cars driving in the vicinity would be affected; if the signal isn't strong enough to affect the neighbors, then it won't be strong enough to prevent someone from finding places on the prison grounds where he can use his cell phone (and you know the prisoners will find that spot!).
2) I'm not sure if I was a prison guard that I'd want the RF jamming signal radiating me day after day; and it's bound to turn into lawsuits by prisoners who say it caused every disease they are likely to come down with, even years after they leave prison.
3) Presently, RF jamming is against the law per the FCC, that applies to you at your house, to the business down the street, and to prisons. The main reasons are #1 and #2 above. And that's the rub, the FCC has been approached by state and local prison systems and the FCC has always denied their requests.
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