NYC bodegas install panic buttons amid surge in violent attacks

NEW YORK CITY - New York City bodegas are installing panic buttons as attacks against owners and workers increase in recent months, Fox News reports.

The buttons will be installed by the digital security company SaferWatch as part of a pilot program. They are designed to notify the NYPD and neighboring stores of danger in real-time.

"We need help today, not tomorrow," Fernando Mateo, the spokesman for the group United Bodegas of America, said in a statement released Wednesday. "Panic buttons that can notify numerous people in real time will save lives and deter criminals."

The advocacy group reached out to the Florida-based partnership following a string of attacks, and the firm stepped up installing panic button systems in 4 bodegas in areas considered to be crime hot spots, according to Fox.

"We believe that everyone who works or visits a bodega deserves to feel safer, and this new program helps us accomplish that," Mateo said. "We are installing SaferWatch technology because it can make the difference between life and death."

Following the initial launch, the UBA did not say how many bodegas would be ultimately involved in the program.

But while these stores using the system is a new development, SaferWatch CEO Geno Roefaro, said panic buttons are already in use at countless government and other public buildings in the country.

"This specific platform saves lives and uses technology that engages directly with 911 in new ways and methods," Roefaro said in a statement. "When the UBA called me I wanted to help. I love New York City and its diverse and special bodegas."

The partnership comes as crime incidents in bodegas have increased over the last month.

One case took place when a bodega clerk and mom of three was rushed to the hospital on June 22nd with severe injuries to the face following an attack with a sledgehammer at a Bronx bodega. That same week, a bodega worker was stabbed multiple times in the chest after refusing to give store credit to a stranger.

Just one day before that, police confirmed that a 33-year-old bodega clerk who UBA identified as Joseph Lewis was shot in the stomach before being rushed to the hospital.

As the project remains in its early stages, it remains unclear exactly how much it will cost to taxpayers, but some projections say it could cost them $3,000 per store per year. Some lawmakers are already advocating for such investment, Fox reports.

"This panic button will send one clear message, that violence in our bodegas will not be tolerated and if anybody tries to engage in violence or crime you will be held accountable," said NYC's 15th district Councilmember Oswald Feliz. He is convincing his colleagues to invest $15 million into the program.