Evening Roundup: Teachers Prepare for School-Day Smartphone Ban, Astoria Car Crash Leaves Three Dead, Trump Threatens Federal Takeover of NYC, but Can He? A...

Janae Pierre: 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? New York state troopers could get paid leave after critical incidents under a proposed bill. From WNYC, this is NYC NOW. I'm Janae Pierre. Kids and parents are thinking about back to school these days, and New York State's cell phone ban is on the way. Governor Kathy Hochul 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.

Governor Kathy Hochul: 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.

Janae Pierre: Hochul 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 dead after a driver struck two pedestrians in 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 in the crash. Their names have not yet been released.

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Janae Pierre: Up next, President Trump has hinted at a possible takeover of the NYPD, similar to what he announced in Washington, DC, this week. More after the break.

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Janae Pierre: President Donald Trump announced this week that the federal government would take over the Washington, DC, 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 if he wants to exert federal control. WNYC's Ben Feuerherd has been looking into this. Ben, what exactly is Trump doing in Washington?

Ben Feuerherd: 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, DC, police department. Trump cited what he claimed was out-of-control crime in the district that he described in pretty blunt words. As many reporters, local politicians, and the DC attorney general have pointed out is that crime is actually falling in Washington, especially violent crime.

Janae Pierre: Okay, so crime is actually down in DC, so this really seems like a drastic step. Does Trump actually have the legal authority to do this?

Ben Feuerherd: 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 DC attorney general, for example, called it unlawful in a statement. The administration invoked a section of a law that allows the federal government to take control of the DC police for two days during an emergency and for up to 30 days if they notify certain members of Congress. The DC National Guard falls under the authority of the President. It seems pretty clear that Trump has pretty broad leeway to deploy them.

Janae Pierre: New York and DC have different relationships with the federal government, right? Could something like this happen here, Ben?

Ben Feuerherd: 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. Lenni Benson, who's a professor at New York Law School, told us what that might look like here.

Lenni Benson: 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. It could be our harbors.

Ben Feuerherd: 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.

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Janae Pierre: That's WNYC's Ben Feuerherd.

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Janae Pierre: The union representing New York state troopers says its officers should get time off after shootouts and other stressful calls. WNYC's Jimmy Vielkind reports the state could be the first in the nation to create critical incident leave. We should note, this story includes the sound of gunshots.

Jimmy Vielkind: Richard Albert spent 20 years in the state police without firing his gun until a highway stop in 2023.

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Jimmy Vielkind: He pulled over an SUV. A passenger shot him through the window.

Richard Albert: 3G64, shots fired, shots fired.

Jimmy Vielkind: Albert was suddenly in a gunfight.

Richard Albert: Milepost 108, shots fired.

Jimmy Vielkind: It took 11 minutes for backup to arrive. Until then, he was all alone.

Richard Albert: Get down.

Police Dispatcher: 3Z Ford pickup fleet in the scene, hijacked vehicle. 3G64, you suggest?

Richard Albert: Negative. Not in custody. I'm hit in the arm.

Jimmy Vielkind: 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.

Richard Albert: It's a numbing feeling, and it lasted for quite a few days. It's really hard to explain.

Jimmy Vielkind: 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 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.

Senator Jeremy Cooney: That has a detrimental effect on the community at large because you place somebody in a position of authority who may not be mentally healthy enough to fully do their job well in protecting the community.

Jimmy Vielkind: 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.

Charles Murphy: 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.

Jimmy Vielkind: A spokesperson for the state police declined to comment on the legislation. A spokesperson for Governor Kathy Hochul 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.

Governor Kathy Hochul: $2.6 billion we have 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.

Jimmy Vielkind: Albert hopes Hochul 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.

Richard Albert: The longer you're out, the less you're going to be welcome back. 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.

Jimmy Vielkind: Governor Hochul has until the end of the year to act.

Janae Pierre: That's WNYC's Jimmy Vielkind.

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Janae Pierre: Thanks for listening to NYC NOW from WNYC. I'm Janae Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.

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