New York State’s “Smart Phone” Law In Effect

A new law that went into effect this week in New York State allows wireless companies to legally turn off your cell phone.

Now they can't just turn it off for a new reason. The new law calls for wireless companies to turn off or deactivate any smartphone or device that is reported stolen.

Wireless companies are also now not legally allowed to turn on devices like smartphones, iPads, or other smart devices if they have been reported stolen.

Senate Bill S7739B is also known as "Detective Brian Simonsen's Law"; and officially went into effect in New York on Sunday, February 24th.

Detective Brian Simonsen was killed when he was responding to an armed robbery at a wireless store in Queens, New York in 2019.

Now with the new law, officials are hoping that there will be fewer robberies at cell phone stores since the phones would be useless since they could not be activated.

The bill passed both the New York Senate and Assblemy and was signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul at the end of 2024.

READ MORE: HERE IS A LOOK AT THE NEW LAWS THAT STARTED IN 2025 IN NEW YORK STATE

Assemblywoman Amy Paulin said the new law should help keep police officers safer.

“We need to keep our officers and residents safe, and this is a commonsense step in that direction. If robbers know they won’t be able to use the phones they steal, there’s no reason to steal them.”

You can see all the new laws that went into effect this month in New York State by clicking HERE.