Federal authorities probing City Hall insiders are zeroing in on a Florida technology company, Saferwatch, that hired the brother of two of Mayor Eric Adams’ top officials whose homes and electronic devices were searched last week.
The intensified scrutiny comes after THE CITY reported on Saferwatch’s attempts to influence Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks and Schools Chancellor David Banks to deploy its emergency alert app in New York City public schools — with their sibling Terence Banks claiming Saferwatch as a client of his government relations firm.
On Friday, the Daily News reported that the feds had seized the electronic devices of at least one Saferwatch employee. A spokesperson for Saferwatch, veteran New York City political consultant Hank Sheinkopf, did not confirm or deny a search but stated: “It is our understanding that neither SaferWatch nor any of its employees are the target of any investigation. SaferWatch, as a company and platform, works hand in hand with law enforcement agencies, schools and businesses across the country.”
Saferwatch, of Boca Raton, began pressing Adams’ team in 2022 to get their “panic button” app into city schools. They hired lobbyist Corey Johnson, a former City Council speaker, who met in late 2022 and early 2023 with Deputy Mayor Banks and Schools Chancellor David Banks to pitch their product.
Saferwatch then hired a government relations firm, the Pearl Alliance, run by Terence.
Records reviewed by THE CITY show that Philip Banks appeared to take swift action on the tech company’s pitch after Johnson pitched the “panic button” to him and his chief of staff, Justin Meyers, at a Jan. 23, 2023 meeting in Banks’ office.
Three days later, on Jan. 26, 2023, Banks’ schedule shows that he met with Kevin Taylor, the head of the NYPD’s school safety unit. A few months later Taylor revealed at a City Council hearing that the unit was overseeing a “panic button” test run in five schools, including prestigious Stuyvesant High School and Bronx High School of Science.
An attorney for Philip Banks, Benjamin Brafman, declined to answer any questions about his client’s communications with either Terence or David or Taylor regarding Saferwatch. He said only that “in my judgment, Phil Banks has no criminal liability whatsoever in this investigation and that once they have concluded their investigation, they will make that determination and hopefully issue an apology to Mr. Banks.”
During a press briefing Friday, Chancellor David Banks declined to discuss whether he had any interactions with either of his brothers regarding Saferwatch. He acknowledged only that the FBI had taken both his departmental and personal cell phones during their 30-minute visit to the Harlem townhouse he shares with his fiance, First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright. Wright’s cell phones were also confiscated by the FBI.
David Banks said an attorney he’s hired, Xavier Donaldson, “has been told that I am absolutely not a target.” Donaldson did not respond to THE CITY’s calls on Friday.
The interaction between Saferwatch and the Banks brothers that is now the subject of inquiry by the Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams is part of several investigations targeting the Adams administration.
The company’s attempts to score city business date back to Adams’ first year in office. On Dec. 7, 2022, Saferwatch’s lobbyist, Johnson, met with David Banks to pitch Saferwatch’s “panic button.” The app allows school staff to communicate with each other during emergencies such as an active shooter or a fire. A few weeks later, Johnson met with Phil Banks and his chief of staff, Meyers.
After the pilot program did not expand as Saferwatch had hoped it would, early this year it stopped employing Johnson as a lobbyist. At some point Saferwatch then hired Pearl Alliance, which Terence Banks had formed in early 2022 while he was still employed as a supervisor at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
An attorney for Terence Banks, Timothy Sini, did not respond to THE CITY’s questions about his work for Saferwatch and any interactions he had with his brothers on the firm’s behalf.
After news broke last week about the raids on the homes of the Banks brothers, officials acknowledged that several other top aides to the mayor were also visited by the FBI, including Police Commissioner Edward Caban, who resigned Thursday.
In contrast, the mayor has insisted that David Banks and Philip Banks will continue performing their duties in his administration.
