By The Associated Press
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — For the first time in its 18-year history, the Mock Prison Riot in Moundsville will feature drones flying overhead.
The training exercise and corrections trade show is set for May 4-7 at the decommissioned West Virginia Penitentiary.
DroneShield, a Virginia-based company, will deploy drones and demonstrate a small electronic device it makes to detect them.
Maj. Ronnie Williams of the West Virginia Division of Corrections says in a news release that criminals and their cohorts are increasingly using drones to drop contraband like tobacco, drugs and cellphones into prisons. He says the potential use of miniature, unmanned aircraft to smuggle weapons into prisons is a serious and growing threat that has not been adequately addressed.