By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday announced $1.6 million in funding to equip an estimated 500 bodegas across the five boroughs with “SilentShields”—buttons that bodega staff can press to immediately call the City Police Department.
Distributed through an emergency grant to the United Bodega Association, these buttons will be installed in bodegas with the highest levels of crime to improve staff and customer safety. 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, and will work in direct coordination with another program the City launched last year to help local business to voluntarily share information in real-time with the NYPD through existing closed-circuit television cameras.
“Bodegas are part of the heart and soul of New York City. They are on every corner; they are there for us at all hours. As we continue rolling out our ‘Best Budget Ever,’ I’m proud to announce $1.6 million in funding to equip an estimated 500 bodegas across the five boroughs with ‘SilentShields’ that will immediately connect bodega staff with the NYPD in cases of emergency,” said Adams. “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.”
According to the administration, UBA will solicit competitive bids for SilentShield technology and aims to begin installation in the coming months. Fernando Mateo, spokesman for the UBA, called SilentShields a “game changer for New York City bodega workers.”For too long, bodega workers have suffered in silence, while help was out of reach. But today, that silence ends. Thanks to Mayor Adams, SilentShields will give our workers a lifeline directly to the NYPD. This is about saving lives, restoring peace of mind, and making it clear: New York will no longer abandon its essential bodega workers.”
“Bodegas aren’t only engines of economic growth for our neighborhoods, they’re community cornerstones where families, youth, and every kind of New Yorker come together,” said First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro. “We heard the call loud and clear from our small businesses, and true to the Adams administration’s unshakeable commitment, we’re doing all we can to make sure that our communities are safe for all. With this investment in an estimated 500 Silent Shields, bodegas in high-need areas will now have a direct line to NYPD, establishing real-time viewing and increased response times, ultimately saving the lives of patrons and workers alike.”
Sunday’s announcement arrived days after Adams noted that the NYPD uniform officer headcount is on the path to reach 35,000 by the fall of 2026. The current headcount is around 34,000.
City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said SilentShields “is what smart policing looks like: precise, fast, and built on the trust of the communities we serve…we’re protecting New Yorkers where they live and work.”
