A news report about smuggled cell phone sniffing dogs used in the Arizona Department of Corrections. Highlights from the report include:

• The dogs spend 9 weeks — 320 hours — learning how to detect cell phones.

• Contraband wireless phones that can be bought for as little as $40 on the outside go for as much as $800-1,200 on the inside. They’re smuggled in by friends and family during visits, by staff, even purchased during work detail.

• The dogs are taught to locate and alert DOC officers to four distinct chemicals found in cell phones — ferric chloride, used to etch circuit board, rosin, promotes soldering, epoxy, used to fabricate the printed circuit board and lithium ion, gas from the battery.

• One dog is stationed in every Arizona state prison, except the Phoenix facility, which is much smaller than the others.

The post Dogs Trained To Sniff Out Cell Phones appeared first on meshDETECT® Blog.

Correctional officers find eight phones at the CDCR’s Norco facility – one of them was tucked in a shoe. It was originally hidden in a deodorant container in an attempt to throw off the dogs’ scent.

The canines are able to sniff through that. Inmates have tried to mask the scent of their phone with coffee, spices – even peanut butter – but the dogs keep finding their cell phones.

Dogs Trained to Sniff Out Prison Cell Phones

The post Video Of K9 Search For Prison Cell Phones appeared first on meshDETECT® Blog.

A news video showing a K9 searching for contraband smuggled cell phones in a Florida jail.

The post Trained Dogs Sniff Out Smuggled Cell Phones appeared first on meshDETECT® Blog.

This article discusses the use of K9 to detect smuggled cell phones in a Tulsa prison. The article quotes a prison official as saying, “Cell phones are a way for them to communicate without us listening.”

The meshDETECT secure prison cell phone solution records each call and gives corrections officials the ability to monitor detainee conversations during and after the call itself.

The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office added a new deputy to the force.

Baxy, is the first K9 in David L. Moss Correction facility.

The Belgian Malinois can sniff out several drugs, tobacco and cell phones smuggled into the jail.

Cell phones are becoming a bigger problem in correction facilities, as some inmates use them to order hits and drugs without law enforcement knowing it.

This is Baxy’s first week on the job.

Many K9s are trained to find drugs but Baxy is unique, she can sniff out tobacco and cell phones which common contraband smuggled into the jail.

Deputy Munson’s new partner is trained to find five drugs, tobacco and cell phones.
Munson hid a cell phone in a bible where an inmate cut out the inside to disguise contraband.

“She’s picked up the scent,” says Munson.

The cell phone can be used to hide dangerous information from the law.

“Hits being ordered or drugs being ordered,” says Munson.

Attempted hits like the one on now retired TPD Homicide Sergeant Mike Huff and Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris.

Court records show inmates already in jail for murder on other cases used smuggled cell phones in the jail to plan the hit.

Signs on jail phones say conversations are recorded.

“Cell phones are a way for them to communicate without us listening,” says Munson.

Cell phones are also used to intimidate witnesses and plan an escape.

“’I know I am going to court at nine this morning, let’s try and take out the van and show up in court,’” says jail Sgt. Bob Darby.

That’s why Baxy is crucial in the jail.

She found the hidden cell phone in the bible in one minute.

No other dog in the state is reported to be used to find cell phones in prisons or jails.

Baxy can even find tobacco which is often used to barter or trade for favors.

“We get reports of people smuggling in daily,” says Darby.

Visitors are known to smuggle in contraband in the restrooms.

“We find a lot of it in the trash can or toilet roll, when inmate an inmate crew comes by they put it in their sock,” says Darby.

Even officers called “ducks” are known to smuggle contraband.

Baxy will also use information in inmate underground mail known as “kites”.

“They [inmates] will write down drops, where it’s going to be, who’s going to pick it up,” says Munson.

Baxy will make her rounds throughout the jail, in cells, restrooms, and closets.

“Not only are we still doing our spot checks visually but we’ve got a nose that’s thousands of times better than ours that can show us spots that we weren’t even thinking of,” says Munson.

The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office spent $8,000 on Baxy. Sergeant Darby says an experienced detention officer costs $3,000 a month and $55 per day, per inmate.

A spokesperson for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections says officers have K9s that can sniff out drugs in prisons but don’t plan to purchase any that can find cell phones.

DOC officers are continuing to work on the state and federal level and asking the FCC to use technology to jam cell phone signals around the prisons.

Source

The post K9 Sniffs For Cell Phones In Tulsa Jail appeared first on meshDETECT® Blog.