USA: Baltimore Governor is lobbying federal authorities to be allowed to block cellphone communications in prisons

[baltimore sun] Gov. Martin O'Malley is launching a federal lobbying effort to allow the jamming of cell phone calls by prison inmates, and he wants permission to test the technology to see if it works.

The governor's request, made public on Sunday, is part of an effort to crack down on witness intimidation, prison gangs and retaliation.

It comes several weeks after federal authorities indicted four corrections officers and members of the Black Guerrilla Family prison gang accused of conducting business on conference calls with prisoners across the state using smuggled cell phones. Also in recent weeks, a federal jury sentenced a Baltimore Bloods member, who used a cell phone inside the city jail to order a hit on a witness, to four life terms.

Currently, states and counties can't jam cell phone signals under the Communications Act of 1934, which regulates the use of radio frequencies. The Federal Communications Commission, however, may permit federal agencies, such as the Drug Enforcement Agency, to use the technology.

O'Malley seeks OK to jam cell phone calls in prisons