NAPO Washington Reports

NAPO participates in Roundtable discussion regarding No Cells in Cells

August 16, 2013
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NAPO is working to expand its community of social media followers, and we would appreciate your help with these efforts.  Please follow NAPO on Twitter, and encourage your members to follow us as well.  Our Twitter name is:  NAPOPolice. 

The importance of social media cannot be understated.  It has become tightly integrated into our daily routines.  NAPO cannot miss out on an opportunity to share our mission and activities with a broader community of stakeholders and future members!

Also, please encourage your members to monitor NAPO on Facebook by clicking the “Like” button on the National Association of Police Organizations Facebook page.

NAPO Participation in “No Cells in Cells” Roundtable Discussion

On August 12, 2013, NAPO participated in a “No Cells in Cells” Roundtable Discussion.  “No Cells in Cells” is a coalition of interested organizations and companies in law enforcement, corrections, telecommunications, technology, and victims’ rights.  Its mission is to educate members of Congress, their staff, and the Administration about the threat to public safety posed by cell phones in U.S. correctional facilities and to provide a forum to discuss legal technological solutions.  The coalition’s goal is to mitigate the threat to public safety posed by inmate access to cell phones in U.S. correctional facilities.  Below please find pertinent discussion points that were presented during this week’s meeting:

  • Individuals are using cell phones from behind bars to commit crimes in the general population.  The coalition’s goal is to find a funding mechanism to mitigate the threat to public safety posed by inmate access to cell phones. 
  • Only 26 states have recognized cell phones in prisons as a major public safety issue.  The coalition’s goal is for all 50 states to recognize this problem.
  • The National Organization for Victims Assistance (NOVA) is leading the coalition’s messaging efforts, which will clearly define this problem and emphasize the costs of not finding a solution.  (NAPO will contribute to messaging working group products).
  • Once the message is defined, the coalition will begin to meet with members of Congress to discuss solutions to this issue, including potential funding streams.
  • The coalition is focused on growing its membership.
    • Throughout the conference, coalition members reiterated that solving this issue will require cooperation with technology carriers and law enforcement agencies. 
    • The FCC will be invited to the next coalition working group, which will occur in approximately three months.

NAPO will provide feedback on future “No Cells in Cells” conferences as they occur.

If you have any questions about NAPO’s social media outreach efforts or the “No Cells in Cells” coalition, please contact Melissa Nee at: mnee@napo.org.