IMPACT GEORGIA MAGAZINE
10
Video & Article by Kasandra Ortiz | Kasandra.Ortiz@gdc.ga.gov
It is a sight to behold—seeing and hearing the Interdiction Response Team (IRT) shouting their cadence as they march in unison into a prison while the sun is rising. When you see them, you know their team is all about professionalism and precision. That day, they had one mission in mind—to shakedown the facility and find contraband like drugs, weapons, or any outside devices.
When performing a shakedown, only the IRT know when they will strike a facility. This anonymity helps to ensure any threat of contraband remains in the facility so the IRT can find it. There are three regional IRT’s to cover the state of Georgia. The north region IRT is housed at Metro Re-entry Facility, the Southeast IRT is housed at Georgia State Prison (SP), and the Southwest IRT is housed at Lee SP.
When the IRT begins a facility shakedown, they start by setting up their Cell Sense Devices. This machine identifies anyone with a cellphone on their person. After the device is set up, offenders in each dorm are safely removed from their cells and one-by-one walked through the machine. If it beeps, they know they have found a cellphone or electronic device. The IRT then searches the offenders’ cell thoroughly. Commander Kristopher Maragh oversees a team of 15 members. He makes sure that each person fulfills their duties during the shakedown.
“We have certain individuals that are working the pole camera. We have certain ones that are just wanding mattresses. We also have some team members that are just focused on common areas inside the dorm. We also have IRT members that are working inside the actual cell looking for contraband,” explains Commander Maragh.
A unique technology to IRT is the pole camera. The technology uses two IRT members—one to hold and direct the pole camera while the other reviews a monitor attached to his wrist that shows what the camera is seeing. The pole camera allows the IRT to see into places they would not otherwise be able to get to. Correctional Officer (CO) Phillip Dunn has been with his team for just over a year. He says his role in shakedowns is vital.
“I’m one of the ones that operates the pole cameras. My job is to get the camera and look in the high places, like the ceiling areas, on top of crates, and make sure that there’s nothing up there,” says Dunn.
During several shakedowns, the pole camera has allowed IRT to find cellphones and drugs in the ceilings or in pipes. Sometimes searching high and low for contraband at a facility can be a dirty job. Some IRT members even climb into the ceilings and tunnels to search for contraband. An offender's way of hiding contraband is constantly changing, so IRT remains vigilant in order to be able to sweep the facility of contraband. The Canine Team comes in with both drug and cellphone sniffing dogs to check for contraband.
In order to become an IRT member, some strict requirements must be met. Each applicant must have spent a year working with the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC), have spent time serving on a Tactical Squad or Correctional Emergency Response Team (CERT), and be able to pass a background check. In addition, they must all be able to meet the physical requirements. To earn a spot on the team, each candidate must be able to complete 25 push-ups in one minute, 32 sit ups in one minute, run 400 meters in 90 seconds, and drag a 150-pound dummy 15 yards. CO Kasey Beavers has been with IRT for over two years. She says she never stops learning and training.
“We do training at our building in Leesburg and we go there and do mobile field for physical training, drilling ceremony, and things like that to make sure we are better than we were yesterday,” says Beavers.
IRT must stay prepared and in shape because conducting shakedowns is only one part of their job. The team also works at different facilities handling offenders, escorting GDC members, managing protests, and protecting the state of Georgia. Most recently, IRT was called out to manage any potential protests during a recent activist rally in Dahlonega, Georgia. For IRT, it is all in a day’s work—helping to keep the peace, maintaining public safety, as well as facility safety by eliminating contraband. IRT is one group of many within GDC that help keep our facilities safe and secure, as well as our state.
INTERDICTION RESPONSE TEAM