Two security breaches at Fulton County jails this week show how easily contraband reaches inmates. Deputies found drugs, phones, and McDonald’s burgers after smugglers cut holes in prison fences.
🔍 What’s Happening: Deputies discovered the breaches after spotting damaged fencing at both facilities.
• Rice Street Jail: Officers seized 131 cigarettes, marijuana, four phones, and drug scales
• South Annex facility: Three suspects caught with burgers, bolt cutters, and 70 grams of marijuana
⚖️ Between the Lines: The timing raises serious questions about jail security.
• Both fence cuts happened within 24 hours of each other
• Smugglers brought bolt cutters and hammers to breach the facilities
🎯 The Big Picture: Cell phones in jails let inmates run drug operations, threaten witnesses, and plan escapes. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office says these cases aren’t connected, but the pattern shows how vulnerable these facilities remain.
The sheriff’s office offers rewards up to $5,000 for tips about smuggling operations. Deputies say they need public help to stop these security breaches.
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
