NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey prison officials are trying a new approach to detect illegal cell phones among the inmate population: cell phone-sniffing dogs.
New Jersey Department of Corrections Spokesman Matt Schuman tells The Press of Atlantic City that other methods prisons use to detect illegal cell phones, such as metal detectors or machines that track usage, require the phones to be turned on.
He says the dogs are trained to detect the scent of the phone itself.
Schuman says 217 cell phones were confiscated in New Jersey prisons since October of last year.
Prison officials say cell phones are sought-after contraband because they can be used to transmit pictures or sensitive information about a facility's layout, or conduct drug deals or other illicit activities.
E-Mail Story
Print Story
