National emergency alert system ‘outed prisoners hiding phones and made them easy targets for guards’ after millions received message across the U.S.
National Emergency Alert System ‘Had Inmates Hiding Phones, Making Them Easy Targets For Guards’ After Receiving Millions Of Messages Across US
- Prison officials confiscated illegal mobile phones during the test on Wednesday
- Guards at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York and FCI Coleman Law in Florida seized four phones after the blaring noise of the alert
The national emergency alert system test exposed inmates hiding phones behind bars, making them easy targets for guards, as millions of test messages received a loud warning sound on Wednesday.
Prison officials across the US have confiscated illegal cell phones during emergency testing to ensure government warnings reach the public, as reported by TMZ.
A state prison official reported that two phones were confiscated at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York, and guards at FCI Coleman Law in Florida similarly seized two phones after the blaring noise of the alert.
The test was conducted across the country to determine the effectiveness of the government’s mass communication options.
It is unknown how many inmate phones have been confiscated nationwide, as the Federal Bureau of Prisons said it “does not elaborate on specific internal security procedures for safety and security reasons.”
Prison officials across the US have seized illegal cell phones during the emergency test
The test was conducted across the country on Wednesday to determine the effectiveness of the government’s mass communication options
A source in Nevada said inmates likely turned off their phones before the test, as they were already aware of the warning.
The prison did not confiscate any phones, probably because the inmates didn’t turn their phones on until later that day.
The test is run over a 30-minute window, meaning they should have received the message if they turned their phones back on within the next 30 minutes.
Federally, inmates are prohibited from having cell phones behind bars, which has become a growing problem in the country.
Inmates found in possession of a cell phone can be charged with a Class E felony.
The Tennessee Department of Corrections said the offense is “punishable by fine,” adding that “a fine of $3,000 will be imposed on repeat offenders of this law.”
Guards at FCI Coleman Law (pictured) in Florida seized two phones after the blaring noise of the warning
A state prison official reported that two phones were confiscated at Sing Sing Correctional Facility (pictured) in New York
Corrections Commissioner Tony Parker said: ‘Contraband mobile phones are a significant security threat… leading to criminal conspiracies between people within our correctional environment and those on the outside.’
Inmates could use their phones for drug-trafficking activities, as evidenced by last year’s conviction of 21 defendants involved in a drug-trafficking operation led by inmates in an Oklahoma prison.
They can also carry out smuggling mobile phone scams behind prison walls, such as the Marshall Project reported in 2019 when inmates ran an elaborate sextortion scam at Lee Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison in South Carolina.
Prisoners posed as underage girls on dating sites who then tried to blackmail men who responded to their lures.
The scheme ended up causing the suicide of a 24-year veteran who served in Afghanistan.
Prison officials and some federal agencies have proposed purchasing more advanced technologies to improve illegal cellular and messaging from prisons.