By C1 Staff
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina DOC Director Bryan Stirling said he plans to fight the ways prisoners smuggle in contraband through staff training and new legislation proposed by Senator Vincent Sheheen.
Drones have become a threat to secure facilities, and the bill would ban the devices from flying within 500 feet of prisons and detention centers, and higher than 250 feet, Live5 News reported.
“Just like Bonnie and Clyde used a car and technology to rob banks, drones are now used to commit crimes,” Stirling said.
If the bill is passed, anyone who violates the rule will be fined $500 and the drone will be confiscated.
Stirling told the news station he hopes to equip his COs with drones to patrol the facilities from above, allowing them to see what they can’t from the ground.
“That’s a real problem for the safety of our prison guards. It’s a problem for the safety of many inmates, and I thought government should get ahead of the curve and make sure that the problem doesn’t get worse than it already is,” Sheheen said.