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Prison guards, employees smuggle phones

Mass murderer Charles Manson is pictured in a March 19, 2009 mug shot released by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in Corcoran, California. (UPI Photo/California State Prison)
Mass murderer Charles Manson is pictured in a March 19, 2009 mug shot released by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in Corcoran, California. (UPI Photo/California State Prison) | License Photo

SACRAMENTO, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- California prison employees are responsible for most of the cellphones smuggled illegally into prisons but it would cost millions to prevent, officials say.

Authorities blame union rules for the costs that would be incurred if metal detectors were installed because contracts require prison guards to be paid for "walk time," the time it takes employees to walk from the prison gate to their jobs inside the facilities, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday. Metal detectors would require them to remove steel-toed shoes and other accessories, the Times said, increasing walk time.

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Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Pacoima, who has unsuccessfully sponsored search bills three times, wants Gov. Jerry Brown to "put the issue on the table" in contract talks with the California Correctional Peace Officers Association.

"Everybody coming into the state Capitol building has to go through a metal detector," Padilla said. "You even get searched when you go to a Lakers game. Why don't we have that requirement at correctional facilities, of all places?"

More than 10,000 cellphones were found in California prisons last year, up from 1,400 in 2007. They can bring up to $1,000 each behind prison walls.

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Officials cited a recent state inspector general's report that said one corrections officer made $150,000 in one year smuggling phones to inmates.

The notorious Charles Manson, who is serving life for the slayings of seven people in 1969, including pregnant actress Sharon Tate, was caught with a cellphone for the second time last month.

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