I just want to say, I personally don't think they are looking for cell phones or sim cards... but I could be wrong. And if they are looking for them I also think they are looking for something else metal that is very specific.
The reason I don't think so is, they were using metal detectors in the front yard. C'mon, who needs a metal detector to find a cell phone in their front yard. Even the sim card, I feel, would be visible to the naked eye. I would be embarrassed to use a metal detector to find a cell in my front yard, and my front yard is much larger then theirs.
Just had to get that off my chest..... can breathe easier now.