NYC NOW - Evening Roundup: Teachers Prepare for School-Day Smartphone Ban, Astoria Car Crash Leaves Three Dead, Trump Threatens Federal Takeover of NYC, but Can He? And, NY State Troopers Could Get Paid Leave After Critical Incidents Under Proposed Bill

Episode Date: August 12, 2025

New York State's cell phone ban in schools is on the way. Plus, the NYPD says three people are dead after a driver struck two pedestrians and another car in Queens Tuesday morning. Also, experts say President Trump will likely face greater difficulty in New York if he wants to exert federal control. And finally, the union representing New York State Troopers says its officers should get time off after shoot-outs and other stressful calls.

Teachers prepare for school day smartphone ban. A car crash in Astoria leaves three people dead. President Trump threatens a federal takeover of New York City, but can he? And New York State troopers could get paid leave after critical incidents under a proposed bill. From WMYC, this is NYC now. I'm Jene Pierre. Kids and parents are thinking about back to school these days. And New York State's cell phone ban is on the day.

the way. Governor Kathy Hokel met with Hudson Valley educators to highlight plans for the state's new school day smartphone ban. It will require students to store devices from the first bell to the last, though some will be allowed to keep them for medical, translation, or caregiving needs. All of a sudden, you've been smoking your whole life and people take the cigarettes away the next day. It is going to be hard. Hokel says the state has almost $14 million to help schools buy storage solutions before this fall. Some heartbreaking news in Astoria. As the NYPD reported three people did after a driver struck two pedestrians and another car in Queens Tuesday morning. Police say it happened around 8.30, near 19th Avenue and 42nd Street.

According to officials, an 84-year-old man was driving a 2010 Toyota Corolla on 42nd Street when he hit two men who were standing outside a food truck. The Toyota then spun around and hit a Volvo sedan attempting a U-turn. The Volvo driver was uninjured. Police say the Toyota driver and both pedestrians were killed. killed in the crash. Their names have not yet been released. Up next, President Trump has hinted at a possible takeover of the NYPD, similar to what he announced in Washington, D.C. this week. More after the break. President Donald Trump announced this week that the federal government

would take over the Washington, D.C. Police Department and deploy the National Guard to the nation's capital. He also said he would look at New York to see if the administration could take similar action here. But Trump will likely face greater difficulty in New York. York if he wants to exert federal control. WMYC's Ben Fewer Heard has been looking into this. So, Ben, what exactly is Trump doing in Washington? Yeah, so Trump announced two pretty big things that are pretty extraordinary. The first was the deployment of the National Guard to Washington, and the second was the federal takeover of the Washington, D.C. Police Department. And Trump cited what he claimed was sort of out-of-control

crime in the district that he described in pretty blunt words. But as many reporters, local politicians and the D.C. Attorney General have pointed out is that crime is actually falling in Washington, especially violent crime. Okay, so crime is actually down in D.C. So this really seems like a drastic step. Does Trump actually have the legal authority to do this? Yeah, so it seems like one of these things that people are going to have different views on whether or not he actually has the legal authority to do this. The D.C. Attorney General, for example, called it unlawful in a statement. But the administration invoked a section of a law that allows the federal government to take control of the D.C. police for two days during an emergency and for up to 30 days if they notify certain members of Congress. And the D.C. National Guard falls under the authority of the president. and it seems pretty clear that Trump has pretty broad leeway to deploy them.

So New York and D.C. have different relationships with the federal government, right? Could something like this happen here, Ben? Yeah, so we spoke to three legal experts who all agreed that the level of federal control that Trump is exerting in Washington is certainly something that can't legally happen in New York. But Trump does have some options if he wants to make a statement here with the federal government and federal law enforcement agents. He has the ability to deploy federal agents to guard federal land in New York State. Lenny Benson, who's a professor at New York Law School, told us what that might look like here. So in New York State, there are areas of federal property. It could be a national park.

It could be a waterway that is navigable and covered by the Army Corps of Engineers for Safety. could be our harbors. And Trump can also call on the National Guard under certain circumstances in New York State, which he did in Los Angeles earlier this year after protests over his immigration enforcement there. That's WMYC's Benfewer heard. The union representing New York State troopers

says its officers should get time off after shootouts and other stressful calls. WMYC's Jimmy Vilkine reports, the state could be the first in the nation to create critical incident leave. And we should note, this story includes the sound of gunshots. Richard Albert spent 20 years in the state police without firing his gun until a highway stopped in 2023.

He pulled over an SUV. A passenger shot him through the window. Roberts was suddenly in a gunfight. File post 103, shot's fired. It took 11 minutes for backup to arrive. Until then, he was all right. all alone. Get down.

Negative. Not in custody. I'm hitting the arm. The shooter was later found dead in a wooded area. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Albert was taken to the hospital, but his left arm wasn't the only thing injured that day. He later recalled the mental stress he experienced when the adrenaline wore off. It's a numbing feeling, and it lasted for quite a few days.

It's really hard to explain. Albert took 13 months to return to duty. Most of it was spent rehabbing his arm, but the incident highlighted that the New York State Police doesn't have a policy on when troopers involved in harrowing situations have to go back to work. State Senator Jeremy Cooney wants to change that. The Rochester Democrat wrote a bill that would require up to 20 days of leave

for troopers involved in a critical incident. That includes shootouts or other situations involving death or serious injury. Cooney says having a lot of people. Having a set time to decompress is important for troopers and the communities they serve. He doesn't want law enforcement officers back on the beat before they've fully recovered. That has a detrimental effect on the community at large because you've placed somebody in a position of authority who may not be mentally healthy enough to fully do their job well in protecting the community. The bill passed almost unanimously.

Cooney credits the New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association. Union President Charles Murphy said the New York State Police can be a model for other departments around the country. We do believe this is an opportunity for New York to lead the charge in mental health because we don't find any other policies that exist out there that actually identify departments and states prioritizing the first responders that are serving them. A spokesperson for the state police declined to comment on the legislation. A spokesperson for Governor Kathy Hokel says she'll review whether to sign or veto the bill. But the governor touted her support for law enforcement during a recent event in Albany.

$2.6 billion we've allocated for law enforcement efforts since I became governor. That's not defunding the police. That is supercharging funding for our police officers. And I'll always continue to do that as long as I'm governor. Albert hopes Hokel will sign the bill. He remembers a stigma for being out for so long. A standard policy will make it easier for people to take the time they need. The longer you're out, you know, the less you're going to be welcomed back. But I worked through it.

I got the answers I wanted, and I was welcomed back. I was excited to go back once I was ready. Governor Hockel has until the end of the year to act. That's WMYC's Jimmy Vilkind. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC. I'm Jenae Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.