Police unions feud with Adams over smartphones remark

Two of the city’s police unions took umbrage with Mayor Eric Adams Wednesday after he said he was “disappointed” in transit cops who are spotted looking on their phones instead of patrolling the subway system.

Both the Police Benevolent Association and the Detectives’ Endowment Association released statements pointing out it is NYPD policy that officers and detectives carry department-issued smartphones on the job.

“We are now required to document every minute of our tour on these phones. Every form we are required to fill out and every alert we receive comes through the phone,” PBA president Patrick Lynch said. “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.”

Lynch said his members did not ask for smartphones, but were instead ordered to use them by management. Under Mayor Bill de Blasio and then-Commissioner Bill Bratton, the department spent $140 million equipping officers with smartphones and adding tablets to every police vehicle between 2014 and 2016.

During a news conference after his budget speech Tuesday, Adams said he was working with NYPD brass to ensure cops were paying better attention in subway stations as the city works to fight fare evasion. New Yorkers, the mayor said, had been sending him photos of transit cops slacking off.

“We’re going to start taking very aggressive actions to make sure police are patrolling our subway system and not patrolling their iPhone,” said Adams, a former transit cop. “And if you see it, send me a picture. Let me know, because I’ll go to that district the next day and see exactly what’s happening.”

On Wednesday, detectives union president Paul DiGiacomo said smartphones were a necessary tool for detectives to use on the job.

“The smartphones are often as much of a safety lifeline as our radios. If City Hall wants to change how the devices are utilized, policy also needs to change,” Diacomo said in a statement. “Maybe a better idea would be to ask for photos of people committing crimes to help Detectives make even more arrests.”

The disagreement comes as city and state officials, including Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul, pledge to deploy more cops on subways to assuage riders’ safety concerns.

Hochul declined to address the controversy when asked after attending an MTA board meeting Wednesday.

“I have confidence in the NYPD to do their jobs, as well as the MTA police officers,” Hochul said in response to a question about Adams’ comments. “Everybody has their own tactics. Mine is to make sure that there’s plenty of resources.”

The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the unions’ statements.

Detective union president
Paul DiGiacomo said: “It’s NYPD policy that Detectives are issued official smartphones. The devices assist in investigations and arrests of dangerous criminals — including in the subway system. The smartphones are often as much of a safety lifeline as our radios. If City Hall wants to change how the devices are utilized, policy also needs to change. Maybe a better idea would be to ask for photos of people committing crimes to help Detectives make even more arrests.”