NYC bodegas to be equipped with panic buttons that buzz NYPD

A bodega association called for the emergency buttons last year following two deadly incidents.

New York City officials will install panic buttons in 500 bodegas with the highest levels of crime to allow employees to immediately call the police during an emergency, Mayor Eric Adams announced Sunday.

The “SilentShield” panic buttons should be installed in the coming months through a $1.6 million emergency grant, Adams said. The move came one day after a man was fatally stabbed to death in a Harlem bodega. The United Bodegas of America has for years called for the buttons as a way to protect vulnerable workers behind the cash registers.

“Instead of just having the cats keeping away the rats, we’re gonna have a direct connection with the police to keep away those dangerous cats that try to rob our stores,” Adams said at a news conference.

The technology will link bodegas’ cameras to the nearest NYPD precinct, allowing officers to see crimes unfold in real time and respond more quickly, officials said. The city will also train bodega workers on how and when to use the devices.

City officials said they will not disclose which bodegas have the buttons as a security measure.

Adams said that crimes inside bodegas, like shoplifting, are rampant in the city.

Data on crimes within bodegas was not available. The most recent NYPD statistics available show robberies in the five boroughs are down 19% compared to the same period last year. Retail theft is down 8%.

Last year, the United Bodegas of America called for the buttons after a fatal stabbing and a fatal shooting in separate bodegas within hours of each other.

“‘SilentShields’ are a game changer for New York City Bodega workers,” Fernando Mateo, a spokesperson for the bodega association, said in a statement. “For too long, bodega workers have suffered in silence, while help was out of reach. But today, that silence ends.”