Is the pen mightier than the sword? The answer to that question depends on the intended use.
The sword beats the pen handily in a slash and hack proposition. But, beyond the power of the written word, what about the pen? What if the pen has a hidden, dangerous utility? This old but apt phrase has double meanings when we consider the pen that also serves as a hidden recording device.
Many mistakes are made when we underestimate an adversary. When the element of surprise is introduced, a formerly confident fighter is knocked off the square and placed immediately on the defensive. It behooves corrections staff to question ordinary-looking items such as pens and wrist watches.
This is no longer science fiction. Spy gear is here and it is inexpensive. A camera pen for $69 was recently featured on a shopping network television show. It had a pinhole camera and takes video and audio. There is a USB connection in the pen.
A simple, quick internet search turned up a watch for under $30 with the following features.
• 4GB Waterproof Spy Watch Hidden Recorder Camera
• With DVR
• Audio Recording - 1280 x 960
• Video/audio camcorder- Smaller and light, can be used as a normal watch yet packed with high quality features
• Records Hi-Resolution real time (15fps) video
• Internal pin hole camera at the touch of a button
• Recordings are stored on the 4GB built in USB memory
• Up to around 30 minutes of 1280 x 960AVI video can be recorded on 2GB
• Internal rechargeable battery is recharged via
• USB connection.
Imagine what a few hundred dollars can fetch!
If you are reading this article on a device with a web cam, think about how unobtrusive it is. Compare that with the older versions of web cams that clipped on a computer and were the size of a baby’s fist. A new mini-web cam at the 6 o’clock position of a spy watch would not be easy to detect. It may look just like a stylized dot rather than the business end of a recording/transmitting device.
How do these pose dangers to corrections staff and the public? A tenant of contraband control is “information is power.” With that in mind, spy gear compromises security in many ways.
Here are a few thoughts about what spy gear can accomplish:
• Record the secure perimeter so one can assess weak spots and use the information for a break out.
• Allow the operator to look for an optimal place to throw contraband for retrieval inside later by a second party.
• Compromise staff with a recording of unprofessional behavior. Granted, staff should not be unprofessional. However, a compromised staff person may assist in bringing in contraband.
• Record the instructions of a gang boss (voice and/or video) while on a visit. Crimes can be easily perpetrated because of the clarity of the instructions and the unmistakable identity of the speaker.
• Survey the visiting room for blind spots or to determine which areas would be optimal for drop and pass locations.
• Bring in information for someone inside. The information could be a complex series of instructions from an outside party to perpetrate a crime inside. Or it could be a distribution list or new bylaws, etc.
Spy devices such as wrist watches and pens with recording capabilities are not quite the same as cell phones and smart phones. When you see a cell phone, just like when you see a shank, there is no doubt as to its function. Concealed spy gear has many of the same functions as a cell phone, but they look like something that is innocent.
The spy watch is extremely dangerous. And as information is power, the spy watch and spy pen rival the smart phone as devices that warrant our vigilance. Their potential for retrieving sensitive information is heightened because they can easily be introduced into a visiting room or in a facility without raising alarm.
Once these items are discovered, one thinks back and wonders how long the security has been compromised due to complacency.
