Associated Press
ANAMOSA — Iowa prison officials are considering upgrades in an effort to catch employees who might illegally smuggle contraband into prisons.
The move follows charges brought against four former Anamosa State Penitentiary guards accused of using drugs while on the job. At least one is accused of smuggling cellphones in to give to inmates.
Jerry Bartruff, director of the Iowa Department of Corrections, says the department is considering some technology upgrades.
Bartruff says security procedures already require guards’ personal items, such as cellphones, that come into the prison to be carried in clear plastic bags and placed in a lockbox. Employees also pass through a metal detector before entering the prison’s secured areas.