By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday announced a new City-run digital media account on Citizen, a free app that provides users with real-time notifications about nearby emergencies and ongoing incidents. The account, “NYC Public Safety,” will compile public safety alerts and notifications from across public safety agencies to share updates and incident information directly with Citizen users — including over 3 million subscribers across the five boroughs.
The NYC Public Safety account will publish public safety-related announcements, alerts about major incidents or weather emergencies, safety tips about crime patterns and scams, and updates to high-profile incidents. The city will also be able to send geo-targeted push notifications to users citywide based on neighborhood, zip code, or borough. This initiative has been launched at no cost to the city.
Additionally, designated public safety agencies—including the City Police Department, Fire Department, and New York City Emergency Management—will be granted secure access to a dashboard that allows authorized personnel to view and download user-submitted videos from incident scenes, potentially aiding investigations and after-action reviews. NYPD and NYCEM also operate accounts on Citizen to share alerts with New Yorkers.
“A huge part of building a safer city is ensuring New Yorkers have the information they need to keep themselves and their loved ones safe,” Adams said. “Whether it’s a heat emergency, a flood warning, a fire or crime, our new ‘NYC Public Safety’ account on Citizen will keep New Yorkers informed on threats and how their city government is working to keep them safe. Since taking office, we’ve made real progress on making our city safer and improving communications, and this new official account is yet another way we’re working to meet New Yorkers where they are by providing real time alerts to keep every New Yorker safe and informed.”
Over 1.2 million New Yorkers are already enrolled in NotifyNYC, the city’s official emergency notification system. Subscribers can opt in to receive updates through text, email, social media, RSS feed, or the Notify NYC mobile app. It is available in 14 languages, including American Sign Language.
“Millions of New Yorkers already use the Citizen app to stay informed about public safety incidents in their neighborhoods, and now the people who protect our city will be able to use this platform to send critical information directly to the people we serve,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry. “Whether it’s an alert about a major incident, a crime pattern, or a safety tip that could help someone avoid being scammed, we’re putting that information right into New Yorkers’ hands. That’s what this administration is all about: meeting people where they are, keeping them informed, and using technology to protect our communities.”
Deputy Mayor for Communications Fabien Levy added, “Easily accessible and digestible information and clear, accurate communication are critical to keeping New Yorkers safe, especially during emergencies. Today’s announcement builds on the work our administration has already done to utilize technology and expand our channels of communication as we break down siloes to make our city safer for the 8.5 million New Yorkers we serve and who call this city home every day. By expanding our outreach and establishing the ‘NYC Public Safety’ account on Citizen, we will more immediately share more information with more New Yorkers about the emergencies and public safety issues they care most about, keeping people across the five boroughs informed and safe.”
