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Baltimore correctional officers face U.S. smuggling charges
Three correctional officers are among nine people facing federal charges of conspiring to smuggle narcotics, cellphones and tobacco into the Chesapeake Detention Facility in Baltimore, Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur said Wednesday. The alleged scheme, which also included four detainees and two people on the outside, involved bribes to correctional officers and had been […]
4th Circuit sides with phone resale business in lawsuit with Sprint
Sprint’s terms and conditions do not clearly prohibit customers from reselling their phones, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling reverses a decision that had given the cell phone provider a win in its litigation across the country against businesses that buy upgraded phones from Sprint customers. U.S. District Judge Catherine […]
Judge bans cellphones from court during Baltimore consent decree hearings
A federal judge issued an order Monday banning cellphones and other electronic devices from the courtroom at Friday's hearing on Baltimore police reform progress under the federal consent decree.
Md. high court upholds search warrants of cellphones
Maryland’s top court Thursday upheld warrants to search suspected criminals’ cellphones based on the training and experience of police officers who said evidence related to drug and violent activities are often found on the devices. In a pair of 5-2 decisions, the final of its current term, the Court of Appeals equated the contents of […]
Court of Appeals upholds post-arrest flip-phone search
Police officers may open the flip phone of a person they just arrested and examine its screen saver but need a warrant to search the text messages and other information contained within the device in the absence of a public-safety emergency, Maryland’s top court ruled Monday in a trio of decisions.
FBI director warns against cellphone encryption
FBI Director James Comey gave a stark warning Thursday against smartphone data encryption, saying homicide cases could be stalled, suspects could go free and "justice may be denied because of a locked phone or an encrypted hard drive."
Phone search? Get a warrant
Maryland defense and prosecution attorneys alike welcomed Wednesday’s unanimous Supreme Court ruling that police generally may not search the cellphones of people they arrest without first getting search warrants.
Cell phone search cases go to privacy interests
Faced with a pair of cases raising the issue of warrantless searching of arrestees’ cell phones, the U.S. Supreme Court will again need to apply centuries-old constitutional principles to rapidly changing technologies.
Frederick schools may relax cellphone rules
FREDERICK — Frederick County public school officials say they’re considering relaxing restrictions on student cellphone use. The Frederick News-Post reported Thursday that Superintendent Terry Alban says it’s time to update a policy that generally requires students to keep their cellphones off and out of sight during school hours. Gov. Thomas Johnson High School Principal Marty [&hel[...]
Maryland gets grant to fight cell phone use in prisons
Maryland has received a federal grant to help fight cell phone use in prisons. The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services announced a $2 million contract over three years with Columbia-based Tecore Networks to deploy technology known as managed access. The system only allows calls on approved cell phones. Unlike cell phone jamming, […]
Wireless providers to disable stolen phones
WASHINGTON — Major wireless service companies have agreed to disable cellphones after they are reported stolen under a strategy intended to deter the theft and resale of wireless devices. The system announced Tuesday relies on a centralized database that will enable providers to recognize when a phone has been reported as stolen and prevent it […]
