During a September 10, 2024 hearing before the Indiana Interim Legislative Committee, Vanderburgh County Sheriff Noah Robinson testified about a worrying discovery: signal jammers pose a serious threat to law enforcement. signal jammer He recalled a law enforcement action in June that not only highlighted the use of signal jammers in crimes, but also sparked a wide-ranging discussion about the potential threat these devices pose to public safety. cell phone jammer
The moment the signal jammer was discovered
Vanderburgh County Sheriff Robinson’s team received a call for a burglary in June, and they used the community surveillance system to lock onto the suspect’s vehicle. GPS jammer When an officer successfully stopped the suspect’s car, officers in Robinson’s office suddenly found that their radio and computer equipment were inoperable. Upon investigation, the police found a signal jammer in the back seat of the suspect’s vehicle.
Robinson noted that while the specific model of the device has not yet been determined, it is enough to interfere with the police’s communication system, and its interference range can even reach up to one mile. This incident made him realize for the first time the destructive impact of signal jammers on law enforcement work, and also triggered his concerns that these devices could be used as terrorist tools in the future.
Potential harm of signal jammers
Signal jammers are small devices that can interfere with wireless communications, usually by interfering with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and cellular signals to paralyze electronic devices. Although these devices are explicitly banned from sale and use by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), they can still be easily obtained through the Internet and used by criminals for illegal purposes.
In the case of theft in Vanderburgh County, the thieves used signal jammers to shut down security cameras and alarm systems to ensure that they would not be detected during the burglary. Robinson emphasized that the thieves gained a great advantage in this way because many modern technologies that the police rely on are all ineffective under the effect of jammers.
More worryingly, signal jammers are not only harmful to law enforcement, but also may pose a threat to public safety. Robinson warned that jammers can affect the normal operation of key facilities such as hospitals, police, airports, and may even be used by terrorists to plan attacks. These devices can cut off communications from medical devices, interfere with surveillance towers and police, and cause traffic accidents or chaos by interfering with wireless traffic control systems.
