(NewsNation) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams, concerned that transit police are paying more attention to their phones than their patrol assignments, has asked New Yorkers to take pictures of officers they see scrolling their cells while on duty.
This comes after reports of violence on public transportation around the city. A few days ago, a man was shot and killed at a subway station in Queens, and earlier this month, more than 10 people were injured in another shooting at a Brooklyn station.
NewsNation local affiliate PIX11 reports that the city has increased the number of officers at subway stations, but Adams said he’s spotted officers standing around on their phones.
“We are going to start taking very aggressive actions to make sure police are patrolling our subway system and not patrolling their iPhones,” Adams said. “You are going to see a visual difference in policing in the next couple of weeks.”
So now, Adams has a request for New Yorkers who see officers on their phone.
“You see that, send me a photo,” the mayor said, encouraging residents to tweet or direct message him the images.
A statement from the Police Benevolent Association, a union representing close to 25,000 New York officers, said police didn’t ask for NYPD-issued smartphones but were ordered to carry and use them.
“If there’s a problem with cops using the phone on duty, NYPD management should change the policies and go back to pen and paper,” Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said.
The work phones given to police, PIX11 said, are used for:
- Expanded search capabilities
- Access to many NYPD databases
- Real-time 911 data along with the distribution of wanted posters, Amber Alerts and missing person alerts
- Officers to update information from the field
The mayor’s spokesperson, Fabien Levy, said Adams has no issues with officers using their phones for legitimate, work-related reasons, but with them being on their personal phones, PIX11 reported.
“This is a tactical problem that could possibly pose a risk to both the officer and to members of the public,” Levy said, according to PIX11. “This is exactly why the mayor is working with the police commissioner and the chief of transit to come up with a plan to ensure our officers are 100 percent focused on their tasks when on patrol and not looking down at phones unless necessary to do the job.”
