Cell Phones Go to the Dogs: Maryland Uses Phone-Finding K-9s to Step Up Security Efforts

Concentrated, serious, acutely focused and on four legs, Tazz, one of the world's first cell-phonesniffing search dogs, wags his tail vigorously in happy confirmation of a contraband find inside a prison cell. Tazz and his doggy pals are a crucial part of a new push by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to crack down on cell phones being smuggled into the state's prisons.

Department officials say the dogs are a clear sign that Maryland's interdiction and security efforts are evolving from a reactive to a proactive approach because cellular technology is ever-changing. "Cell phones have become a serious and dangerous issue for us over the last few years," Maryland Division of Correction Commissioner Mike Stouffer said during a K-9 demonstration press conference. "Today cell phones are rating higher than drugs or tobacco in terms of causing violence inside our prisons."

The department's cell-phone-sniffing dogs are just one component of an overall effort that has resulted in a 27 percent increase in cell phone finds since the initiative began last fall. On average, security personnel found 79 phones a month from September 2007 through April 2008. In the eight months prior, that average was just 62 a month.