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Prison dept looks into cell phone jamming technology

By NOELLE NICOLLS

June 23, 2010

THE Prison Department is reviewing bids submitted by cell phone jamming specialists in an open tender process, said Dr Elliston Rahming, Superintendent of Prisons. Once a service provider is selected, the prison intends to use the technology to block the illegal use of cell phones.

"Like prisons everywhere around the world, we are challenged by the importation of cellular phones. There are clearly too many that come in - one cell phone is too many - and it is my resolve to bring those numbers to an irreducible minimum. But failing that we will jam them, including my phone," said Dr Rahming.

Last month the prison acquired six service dogs including attack dogs, drug sniffing dogs and cell phone sniffing dogs. Prisoners use cell phones to alert criminal counterparts on the outside of upcoming court dates and thereby arrange for the intimidation of witnesses, according to Leslie Campbell from the Jamaica Department of Correctional Services. He said, "Cell phones are rampant in every corner of the prison in Jamaica", and corrupt prison officers bring them in. Dr Rahming said the Jamaican experience is applicable to the Bahamas. "Once they get use of the cell phones (they use them for) whatever use they can imagine, whatever needs they can fulfill," he said.

The Prison Act states that communication between inmates and outsiders must be made within the "sight and sound" of an officer. If an inmate uses a cell phone, he or she is in violation of the Prison Act. As for prison officers, it is against regulations for all guards to have cell phones within the living confines of inmates. There are many criminal uses prisoners find for cell phones, according to Howard Melamed, president of Cell Antenna, a US-based company specialising in cell phone jamming technology. Mr Melamed was a presenter at the forth annual conference of the Association of Caribbean Heads of Corrections and Prison Services (ACHCPS), presently underway in the Bahamas.

He said prisoners can operate cell phones as servers, and conduct business online. When they have access to credit cards, he said they order products and have them sent to the prison as gifts. He said they also use cell phones to intimidate witnesses, and to operate gambling, extortion and prostitution rings on the outside. There are examples of prisoners charged with rape, using their cell phones to "constantly harass" victims by making repeated late night phone calls and sending text messages, said Mr Melamed. One prisoner, who had under two years left to serve on his sentence, continued to operate as a pimp from inside the prison. He used the money collected to "buy drugs and other services" inside the prison, he said.

In his experience, Mr Melamed said, the few prison officers who are involved in trafficking cell phones into prisons hide it from authorities and are disciplined once they are discovered. However, he said every one has a price, and prisons should implement regulations to reduce the possibility of officers being corrupted.

"No guard should have a cell phone. It is too much of a sweet habit, worse than cocaine. Selling cell phones in prison can turn some of the best. You don't want it to be something they think of," said Mr Melamed.

"Everyone has the same problems. The politicians only get on the bandwagon when something happens," he said.

Dr Rahming said he suspected a cell phone jamming system would also be "tremendously relevant" to the Carmichael Road Detention Centre, recalling an incident where a former prison officer called him while being detained there.

He said the former employee was detained by immigration officials and scheduled for deportation to Jamaica. He said he got a call early in the morning from the former employee asking for help. "I asked, how are you calling me? She said someone down here has a cell phone".

He said the incident revealed the problem extended beyond the prison into other security agencies. A cell phone jamming device was purchased over four years ago; however that device was a military unit and knocked out cell phones from Yamacraw to Sea Breeze. Despite attempts to recalibrate the device, it had to be discarded. Dr Rahming said the prison is trying to get "a more circuital system to be contained within the prison environment".

Howard Melamed to Speak at Counter Terror Expo 2010 in U.K.

McGrath/Power Public Relations and Communications

April 06, 2010

Critical Issues Surrounding International Mobile Phone Terrorism Discussed by Howard Melamed

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WHAT: Howard Melamed, CEO and president of CellAntenna Corporation, will speak at the upcoming Counter Terror Expo 2010 being held on April 14-15 in the U.K. His address is scheduled for Thursday, April 15. The presentation, titled, “Strategy and Tactics Used to Defend against Mobile Phone Terrorism,” will discuss the threat of mobile phones used in terrorist attacks, as well as strategies to combat the issue, including mobile phone jamming, mobile phone signal detection and controlling services.

Survey at International CTIA Wireless Conference Reveals 71 Percent Favor Legalizing Cell Phone Signal Jamming in Prisons

McGrath/Power Public Relations and Communications

April 01, 2010

Wireless Professionals Support Regulatory Changes to Stop Crime from Illegal Cell Phone Usage at the Prison Walls

CTIA Wireless 2010

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CellAntenna today announced results from a survey of wireless professionals conducted at the 2010 International CTIA Wireless Conference held last week in Las Vegas, Nev., showing more than 71 percent favor cell phone jamming to eliminate illegal cell phone usage in prisons. Of 130 wireless professionals surveyed, 93 advocated legalizing signal jamming to counter safety threats and crimes stemming from the use of contraband cell phones by prisoners.

Federal Government Makes Cell Phone Jamming Breakthrough

McGrath/Power Public Relations and Communications

February 19, 2010

CellAntenna jamming solution tested by NTIA in federal prison in Cumberland, MD.

The battle to remove cell phones from the hands of prison inmates saw a major breakthrough this week. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) authorized the first federally sanctioned test of cell phone signal jamming technology inside the Federal Correctional Institution in Cumberland, MD using CellAntenna technology.

CellAntenna Combats Threat of Cell Phones in Prisons and Schools

McGrath/Power Public Relations and Communications

January 05, 2010

CellAntenna Corporation is helping to combat the use of contraband cell phones in correctional facilities and schools. The company today unveiled its new CJAM™ Cell Phone Threat Scan (CTS) service, an important new offering that builds on the company’s years of leadership in enhancing or denying cellular signals.

Reduce Electromagnet Radiation by the Use of External Antennas and Building Repeaters

By Howard Melamed P.E.CEO CellAntenna Corporation

December 21 2009

With the current discussion on the harmful effects of cellular phone use with a recent study published in Sweden, the question is if the studies are valid, what can be done to minimize the effects of Electromagnetic Radiation or EMR.

Trying to Keep Cell Phones Out of Prison

Time Magazine, By Hilary Hylton / Austin

November 26 2008

Prison authorities used to have almost complete control over an inmate's ability to communicate with the outside world. By checking their mail and parceling out telephone access — at scheduled times on easily and legally tapped landlines — communication for inmates was difficult and often expensive (their families had to pay for the hefty collect calls, usually the only kind allowed in jail). Today, however, as cell phones proliferate (with an estimated 3.5 billion and counting), they are reaching into every corner of the planet — including jail cells.

Cellphone Jamming Test Called Successful, Firm Plans To Petition Fcc

Telecommunications Reports International, Inc., by Paul Kirby

November 21 2008

CellAntenna Corp. successfully tested mobile phone jamming equipment at a South Carolina prison today, demonstrating that the technology can be used without interfering with other communications inside or outside the facility, the company and South Carolina corrections authorities said.

Prison Plans to Shackle Cellphones

Wall Street Journal, By ANDREW LAVALLEE

November 21 2008

A South Carolina prison's plan to test a cellphone-jamming system is running afoul of the wireless industry but has sparked interest among some lawmakers and law-enforcement groups. On Friday, the Lieber Correctional Institution in Ridgeville, S.C., intends to demonstrate the jamming system, made by CellAntenna Corp., of Coral Springs, Fla., that it hopes will curb illegal cellphone use among inmates. "It's an urgent need," said Josh Gelinas, a spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Corrections. "This is a problem in every prison system." Cellphones are a popular form of contraband, since they can be used to coordinate escape attempts ...

To jam or not to jam

Urgent Communication, By Lynnette Luna

November 19 2008

I first met Howard Melamed in 2005 during the APCO show in Denver. He was already deep into his one-man crusade to urge the FCC to allow public safety to use jamming devices to ward off the dangers of cell-phone-triggered explosives. The CEO and president of CellAntenna was quite passionate and spoke seemingly a million words a minute during our meeting, stressing that improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were the weapon of choice among terrorists. Three years later, his passion hasn't waned, despite the fact that he can't get the FCC to see his point of view.

CellAntenna President and CEO Howard Melamed To Address Third Annual Gulf Coast Terrorism Prevention Conference On September 18, 2008

Melamed To Speak On Understanding The Threat Of Cell Phones Used In Remote Triggering Of IED's

Coral Springs, FL - September 15 2008

Howard Melamed, President and CEO of CellAntenna Corporation will address the Third Annual Gulf Coast Terrorism Prevention Conference at 9:15 AM on September 18, 2008 at the Hyatt Hotel, 1000 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota, Florida. Melamed will speak on understanding the threat of cell phones used in remote triggering of improvised exploding devices (IED's). The conference is being hosted by the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. "In today's world, the IED triggered by a cell phone is the terrorist's weapon of choice," said Melamed. "We have seen it used in Chechnya, Afghanistan, Israel, and Iraq to create havoc and devastation. Fortunately there are ways to disrupt and thwart the terrorists with jamming devices."

South Florida Entrepreneur Howard Melamed Offers To Lease U.S. Sugar Everglades Land

Melamed Would Use Land To Harvest Sugar Crops And Produce Ethanol Delay Everglades Restoration for 30 Years

Coral Springs, FL - July 8 2008

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. South Florida entrepreneur, Howard Melamed is proposing to lease the 192,000 acres of land that the State of Florida is purchasing from U.S. Sugar and use the land for ethanol production for the next thirty years to try to ease the nation's toxic energy problems. After the expiration of the thirty-year lease, the land would then be given for the Everglades restoration project. Melamed, in his proposal to Florida Governor Charlie Crist, is offering to pay Florida $120,000,000.00 per year for the use of the land. The State of Florida is purchasing the land from U.S. Sugar for $1.7 billion. Estimates show that if Florida were to agree to Melamed's proposal, the land could produce 120,000,000 gallons of ethanol from sugar cane harvested.

CellAntenna Continues Fight Against FCC

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE

Coral Springs, FL - June 17 2008

CellAntenna Corporation, a telecommunications solutions company, announces that it is continuing its fight against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over its ruling prohibiting local and state governments the use of cell phone jamming equipment. The restrictions are imposed due to the Communications Act passed by Congress in 1934. This issue poses the number one threat to local, state, and federal correctional institutions with incarcerated inmates using cell phones to continue illegal transactions leaving the authorities helpless.

CellAntenna Receives ISO 9001:2000 Certification

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)

Coral Springs, FL - June 6 2008

CellAntenna Corp., a small woman-owned telecommunications solution company with subsidiary companies in Kings Langley, England, and Lodz, Poland, today announced it has received ISO9001: 2000 certification.

Colombia Free Trade Agreement Needed

Small Business Exports Increase Sales and Jobs

May2008

Last month, as part of our ongoing efforts to expand our business, CellAntenna Corporation decided to go to Colombia on a fact-finding mission. A woman-owned small business headquartered in Coral Springs, Florida, CellAntenna provides solutions to poor signal coverage inside buildings as well as products that support the cellular industry. We entered the export business three years ago to increase our sales. Since then, we have doubled our staff and increased our revenues by 50%. Exports have allowed us to establish subsidiary companies in London, England, and Lodz, Poland. Because of CAFTA and NAFTA, our exports to Mexico and Central American countries have increased dramatically. We see the same opportunities in Colombia.

CellAntenna Launches Cell Phone and Public Safety Repeater Systems for Hurricane Shelters and First Responders

Communication During a Storm is Vital; Recent Hurricanes Provide Insight for Planning for the Future

Coral Springs, FL - April 17 2008

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the hurricane season approaches, CellAntenna Corporation announced the launch of its newest product line of CAE-750 CT5 (Category 5) Dual Band Cellular and Public Safety repeaters designed for use during and after natural disasters such as hurricanes. The structures of hurricane shelters and other vital command centers are reinforced with so much concrete and steel that all too often radio signals cannot penetrate to allow vital communication during storms and when powerful winds knock down towers. In many cases communication remains off the air. The CAE-750 CT5 systems can help provide continuous communication inside buildings during and after disasters hit an area.