Tom Cotton Warns Of Dangers Of ‘Contraband Cellphones,’ Pushes For Targeted Phone Jamming In Prisons

2 days ago

During a press briefing to promote efforts to rid prisons and jails of cell phones on Wednesday, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) spoke about the dangers of contraband cell phones in prison.

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Transcript

00:00Good morning and welcome everyone. We're here today to discuss the cell phone janitor format.

00:26Good morning and welcome. We're here today to discuss the cell phone jamming reform act.

00:31I'm honored to be joined by Congressman David Kustoff, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin

00:37and correctional officer officers and professionals from state and local governments across America.

00:44Thank you all for supporting this important legislation to keep criminal activity off

00:48our streets out of our neighborhoods and away from our communities. When criminals go to

00:53prison, they should not be able to pose a threat to public safety. However, because

00:57of contraband cell phones, convicted criminals continue their illicit activity while sitting

01:03in a prison cell. In Georgia, a major prison drug ring used contraband cell phones to move

01:10more than 14 kilos of meth and nearly a kilo of heroin into the greater Atlanta area. In

01:18South Carolina, prison inmates running a sextortion scheme targeted hundreds of our troops, leading

01:26to the tragic suicide of several victims. And in New Jersey, an inmate used a contraband

01:32cell phone to arrange an assault on his ex-girlfriend and the murder of her new boyfriend. Contraband

01:41cell phones in prisons endanger the general public, as well as the correctional employees

01:48who dedicate their lives to keeping Americans safe. Lieutenant Osvaldo Alboratti, a Federal

01:56Bureau of Prisons correctional officer, was killed by a group of inmates because of his

02:02work to seize and stop the flood of contraband into a detention center. Incarcerated criminals

02:10used a contraband cell phone to contact the gunman who took his life. Within prison walls,

02:17contraband cell phones are dangerous weapons. For too long, we've turned a blind eye to

02:22this glaring public safety threat as crimes are planned, facilitated, and ordered by convicted

02:28criminals already serving a prison sentence. No more. The Cell Phone Jamming Reform Act

02:35will allow state and federal correctional facilities to use targeted cell phone jamming

02:41equipment in prison housing facilities. The precision of this jamming equipment will render

02:48contraband cell phones useless for criminals in prison without interrupting the normal

02:53communications of law enforcement and emergency first responders in the area. State officials

02:59will have full discretion as to where and how this jamming equipment is used in prison

03:05facilities, thus providing local correctional officers and law enforcement with the tools

03:11they need to keep Americans safe. We should pass the Cell Phone Jamming Reform Act to

03:17keep cell phones out of prison cells and crime out of our communities. Thank you all for

03:23being here. I'm now pleased to turn over the microphone to Congressman Kustoff.

Tom Cotton Warns Of Dangers Of ‘Contraband Cellphones,’ Pushes For Targeted Phone Jamming In Prisons

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