The Alabama Legislature approved a bill authorizing the Department of Corrections to disable and intercept drones over state prisons, spurred by incidents of contraband smuggling. The bill allows countermeasures like jamming and physical capture, with the act set to take effect June 1, 2026.
A bill giving the Alabama Department of Corrections new authority to disable and intercept drones operating over state prisons has passed the Legislature and now awaits the governor’s signature. House Bill 274, sponsored by Rep.
Simpson, would add a new section — 13A-7-94.1 — to the Code of Alabama 1975 authorizing the Department of Corrections to take “reasonable and necessary measures” against unmanned aircraft systems operating in violation of the law. Under the legislation, the department could use a range of countermeasures, including jamming signals, to the extent consistent with federal law and Federal Communications Commission regulations; hacking; physically capturing a drone; or using any other reasonable mitigation measure to neutralize, intercept, disable, or disrupt an unmanned aircraft system. The bill also specifies that the new authority does not eliminate or modify any existing immunity or legal defenses available to the Department of Corrections or its officers, employees, or agents. The act is set to take effect June 1, 2026. The measure comes amid documented incidents involving drones and alleged attempts to smuggle contraband into Alabama prisons. In February 2025, the Alabama Department of Corrections charged a woman, Andrea Robinson, after drones were used in an attempt to introduce contraband into the Holman Correctional Facility. She faced multiple counts including attempting to commit a controlled substance crime, illegal drone operation, and promoting prison contraband connected to that drone incident. Reports in 2025 stated Robinson used a drone to try to deliver nearly a pound of marijuana to the prison and made a second attempt, which ultimately resulted in her arrest. In a separate case, a man was arrested near Fountain Correctional Facility with two drones and contraband. He was charged with illegal drone use on prison property and other offenses following a pursuit involving ADOC K-9 units.If signed into law, HB274 would formally grant corrections officials explicit authority to counter drones, which prison officials have increasingly identified as a method used to attempt to introduce drugs and other prohibited items into correctional facilities.PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - A man fell from a moving golf cart, resulting in his death and DUI charges filed against his wife.The Port St. Lucie Police DepartA Mobile County school board member is concerned about students using smart glasses to cheat. Smart glasses look like regular glasses but can access the interneAs the new Intracoastal Waterway Bridge project nears completion and prepares to open for traffic by summer 2026, transportation data shows that drivers have alA bill giving the Alabama Department of Corrections new authority to disable and intercept drones operating over state prisons has passed the Legislature and nMobile DA blasts judge presiding over murder case after not guilty verdictMobile County District Attorney Keith Blackwood penned a scathing public indictiment o
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