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Officials: 17 Arrested In Contraband Crackdown At Rikers Island

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Authorities say 17 people, including inmates and correction officers, have been arrested as part of a Rikers Island contraband smuggling investigation.

The arrests come as part of a crackdown which has resulted in a 48 percent increase in contraband discovered at city jails.

Smuggled contraband is cited as a major factor in jail violence.

"From investing in X-ray machines and expanding K-9 teams to increasing visitor searches and overhauling our officer recruitment and vetting process, we have put comprehensive reforms in place to root out contraband on Rikers Island," said Department of Correction Commissioner Joseph Ponte. "And today we are launching a dedicated team to monitor inmate phone calls; adding broader K-9 searches; and expanding Intel sharing from phone monitoring with DOI. We have zero tolerance for any illegal behavior in our jails, and we are confident that our ongoing reforms are yielding more capable officers and safer jails."

Last year, Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a plan to reduce violence at city jails, which included cracking down on the insurgence of contraband and other weapons, as well as the separation of gang-affiliated inmates.

In November 2015, Kevin McKoy, a Rikers corrections officer was accused of attempting to smuggle drugs and other contraband into the facility. Marrion-Paul Small-Williams, a private investigator, was caught attempting to smuggle drugs into Rikers in October.

Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said McKoy took at least $10,000 in bribes to smuggle in scalpels and blades, which were wrapped in duct tape to avoid metal detectors, and gave them to inmates, 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reported.

Recent reforms have tightened screening procedures. Officers warn arriving visitors that they can dump any contraband in amnesty boxes.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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