NYC To Install NYPD Panic Buttons At 500 Bodegas

NEW YORK CITY — Five hundred bodegas across New York City will be outfitted with emergency “panic buttons” that will immediately call the NYPD in cases of emergency, officials announced on Sunday.

Mayor Eric Adams announced $1.6 million in funding for “SilentShields,” that will be installed in bodegas with the highest levels of crime to improve staff and customer safety.

The panic buttons will be distributed through an emergency grant to the United Bodega Association (UBA).

SilentShields will be directly connected to cameras in the bodega and to the NYPD, allowing officers to see crimes unfold in real time, respond faster, and help save lives, Adams said.

"This program will bring peace of mind to our bodega owners, while protecting the working-class New Yorkers who work and frequent bodegas. Our bodegas are essential to New York City, and, with this investment, we're telling these small businesses: Your city has your back," the mayor said.

The announcement comes after a number of deadly incidents in bodegas and delis across the city — including the fatal stabbing of a 24-year-old man at an Inwood bodega and the shooting death of a 38-year-old man in the Bronx.

"'SilentShields' are a game changer for New York City Bodega workers," Fernando Mateo, spokesman, UBA, said. "For too long, bodega workers have suffered in silence, while help was out of reach. But today, that silence ends."

UBA will solicit competitive bids for SilentShield technology and aims to begin installation in the coming months.

The location of bodegas that will get SilentShield technology have not been released due to safety concerns.

"Bodegas are essential to life in this city — and the people who run them deserve real protection," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. "With this new technology, we're giving them a direct link to the NYPD, so we can see what's happening in real time and respond immediately. This is what smart policing looks like: precise, fast, and built on the trust of the communities we serve."