According to the press release, Director Tony Parker called for action after the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) submitted a report. The report reports the effectiveness of micro-interference technology in blocking illegal cell phone signals in correctional facilities.
The report details the results of preliminary research conducted by the Department of Justice/Federal Prisons on the micro-interference technology in South Carolina State Penitentiaries.
"This trial plan is a clear example of the available jamming technology, which has been tested in a real corrective environment, and the result will invalidate illegal mobile phones in Tennessee prisons without interfering with legal communications outside the target area Equipment." Parker said in a statement.
Drug smuggling networks have used illegal mobile phones in prisons to facilitate attacks, escape attempts and other illegal activities. In 2005, a smuggled mobile phone helped a prisoner escape, which eventually led to the murder of Tennessee law enforcement officer Wayne "Cotton" Morgan.
The disciplinary industry has repeatedly asked for permission to use "GSM jammer" technology to disable cell phones in prisons. Last year, Senator Ken Jager (R-Kingston) and Representative William Lambert (R-Portland) initiated a resolution at the Tennessee State General Assembly calling on the Federal Communications Commission to support the prison in Tennessee Use interference techniques.
