New York City to spend $1.6 million on panic buttons in response to crime boom

New York Mayor Eric Adams reported that the city will spend $1.6 million to put panic buttons in hundreds of bodegas. The Democrat's decision was given due to increasing crime.

In that regard, during a press conference, the mayor indicated that at least 500 devices will be installed in stores located in critical crime areas in the five boroughs in the coming weeks.

Officials explained that the buttons will be connected directly to the NYPD's central command center, avoiding traditional 911 operators to reduce response times.

The mayor indicated that it would not be disclosed in which stores the devices will be installed. They will be installed by the company Silent Shield.

"No one knows who would actually have a device or not. That adds to the omnipresent and the element of surprise that we’re looking for," Adams told The Post after the press conference.

Meanwhile, several merchants said they hope the panic buttons will help police response time be faster.

“There’s a lot of crime in the neighborhood ... They’re killing people, they’re stealing. Sometimes the police take a lot of time to come. So the panic button is good. When you hit the panic button, the police come," said Eli Soto, a 51-year-old warehouse worker at Pamela's Green Deli.