TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Feb 11, 2026

Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) officials are seeking $1.7 million for drone detection technology to prevent contraband from being airdropped into state prisons, the Nashville Banner reports. TDOC Commissioner Frank Strada discussed the request Tuesday during a budget hearing with the Senate State and Local Committee. Strada said the technology would be part of a broader intelligence-gathering initiative. Keeping contraband out of prisons is complicated, in part because staff members are sometimes involved in smuggling schemes, the paper reports. For example, reports on criminal cases at the CoreCivic-operated Trousdale Turner Correctional Center include charges of employees bringing in drugs or cellphones, and a 2024 federal lawsuit highlighted the use of drones to deliver drugs to the prison yard.