Panic Buttons for Bodegas Planned Amid Worker and Customer Fears
The city launches a $1.6M plan to wire 500 bodegas to the NYPD due to rising fears of violence in New York’s most essential neighborhood outposts.
Bodegas are New York City icons and community lifelines, yet in recent times they’ve also become battlegrounds for the city’s approach to crime prevention.
The Mayor has unveiled a $1.6 million emergency plan to install ‘panic buttons’ in 500 bodegas throughout the city. The devices, dubbed “SilentShield,” will be link to NYPD precincts in an effort to combat a troubling rise in attacks on workers and customers alike.
"Bodegas are part of the heart and soul of New York City," Mayor Adams stated during a press conference at Pamela Green Deli in the Bronx. "This program will bring peace of mind to our bodega owners, while protecting the working-class New Yorkers who work and frequent bodegas."
The SilentShield devices, when activated, will connect directly to the NYPD's central command, bypassing traditional 911 dispatchers to expedite emergency responses. Additionally, the system will grant officers real-time access to the store's surveillance cameras, providing immediate situational awareness during critical incidents
Fernando Mateo, spokesperson for the United Bodegas of America (UBA), praised the initiative.
"For too long, bodega workers have suffered in silence, while help was out of reach,” Mateo said. “SilentShields will give our workers a lifeline directly to the NYPD.”
The push for panic buttons gained momentum after the tragic 2018 murder of 15-year-old Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz, who was attacked after seeking refuge in a Bronx bodega.
In response, former Bronx City Councilman Mark Gjonaj introduced legislation proposing the installation of panic buttons in bodegas. At the state level, the "Safe Havens for Endangered Children" law, nicknamed "Junior’s Law," was introduced to provide grants for panic buttons and surveillance equipment in small businesses .
United Bodegas of America (UBA) has spent years lobbying for action. In April 2025, after two deadly incidents, one involving a worker fatally stabbed during a robbery in Queens, the group ramped up pressure.
“The time for discussion is over,” UBA President Radhames Rodriguez said in April. “Every bodega must have a panic button, and the NYPD must treat these alerts like the life-or-death emergencies they are"
Not all are convinced by the mayor’s sudden push.
In a sharply worded op-ed, former state official David Catalfamo dismissed the initiative as performative politics, writing:
"We've gone from crime prevention to performance art. There's no replacing the hard work of public safety with a Life Alert.”
Catalfamo and others argue that while the technology might provide short-term reassurance, it diverts attention from long-term solutions to urban violence, such as better police deployment, community investment, and mental health support.
The rollout of SilentShields is expected in phases starting this summer, beginning in neighborhoods with documented spikes in violent crimes against small businesses. Bodega workers and community members alike hope that these measures will provide a much-needed sense of security and deter future acts of violence.