I'm sure this'll do it!
This plan is going to cost the city $1.6 million.
(Anyone wanna take bets on how long it takes for the government to install them?)
In a push to keep bodegas safe, the mayor announced the city's intent to use SilentShield technology -- a button that will be installed in the bodega that staff can press. It will call police immediately during an emergency.
...
Officials say the buttons will be installed in 500 stores in the city and you won't know which shops have them.
Bodega robbers looking at this scheme:
First of all, there are over 13,000 bodegas in New York City. Giving only 4% of them this panic button while bragging about it is quite the flex.
Second, the NYPD's response to major crimes in progress is 9 minutes and 24 seconds, according to the 2024 Mayor's Management Report.
Read that again:
It doesn't take a genius to figure out why crimes at convenience stores are called "smash and grabs." The typical theft at a New York bodega might be over in seconds.
What happens when store employees click that button for every instance of shoplifting? Will the NYPD have the resources to filter out the most important? When they arrive nearly 10 minutes later, will any of the bad guys still be there?
Police say once the SilentShield button is pressed it will directly connect police to the store's surveillance.
The NYPD's IT guy trying to fix the server after all 500 bodega owners press their buttons at the same time:
Real-time surveillance would be great for a hostage situation ... not so much for random shoplifting and stabbings.
Police say a 33-year-old was fatally stabbed just feet away from the front door on Saturday morning.
If I might lend some advice to America's largest city, the way you stop crime is to 1) stop letting the criminals out of jail and 2) let everyone protect themselves.
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