Six months ago, Attorney General Chris Carr called for federal action to combat contraband cell phones in prisons and jails – stating that this is a critical issue he is not going to let up on. Late last week, Carr turned up the heat, filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) following the agency’s continued refusal to allow state and local law enforcement to jam the signal of contraband cellphones.
Specifically, Carr is seeking all inter-agency correspondence related to the letter he sent last June urging the FCC to allow for states to use cell phone jamming technology in prisons and jails. Carr is also seeking all documentation related to the FCC’s response denying the State’s request and information regarding the use of cell phone jamming devices at select federal prisons. The FCC currently prohibits the use of cell phone “jammers,” and that prohibition extends to state and local governments.
“Law enforcement is struggling to combat contraband cellphones due to an outdated policy that the federal government refuses to address or reconsider in any way,” said Carr. “The solution is simple – by blocking the signal to contraband cellphones, we can help put a stop to violent crime that’s directed from behind bars and enhance overall public safety efforts. If the Biden administration won’t work with us, they should get out of the way and allow our officers to do their jobs effectively.”
Carr explained that in prisons and jails throughout the country, contraband cell phones are used to plan and orchestrate violent attacks and other criminal activity, posing a real and substantial risk to correctional officers, visitors, inmates, and the public at large.
An incarcerated leader of the infamous street gang, “Yves Saint Laurent Squad,” used a contraband cell phone to order a hit which resulted in the death of an 88-year-old Georgia veteran, Carr said. He went on to point out that a gang leader in North Carolina ordered the kidnapping of a prosecutor’s father using a contraband cell phone in prison. In California, prison gangs used contraband cell phones to traffic drugs and order murders within the prison system.
In his June 2024 letter, Carr stated that the FCC’s current policy relies on a decades-old statute. He wrote: “Nothing in the language of 47 U.S.C § 333 prohibits the FCC from revising its position to allow state agencies to use cell phone jamming devices in prisons. In fact, the United States Bureau of Prisons has recognized the potential value of cell phone jammers already and is permitted to use jamming devices at several federal penitentiaries, including at least one in Georgia.”
Carr’s Gang Prosecution Unit has partnered with the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) to investigate and prosecute currently incarcerated individuals who are alleged to have engaged in criminal gang activity and discussions regarding the packaging and shipping of contraband items into a GDC facility.
