NYPD Faces Push to Drop AI Cell-Site Simulators

45 nonprofit and civil rights groups urge Mayor Mamdani's administration to halt procurement of AI-enhanced cellphone tracking devices.

Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in Telecommunications

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a slender radio mast above a cluster of municipal buildings, with faint signal arcs in deep red and cream. — Forty-five nonprofit and civil rights groups urged Mayor Mamdani to halt NYPD procurement of AI-enhanced cell-site simulators after the department dropped a $750,000 no-bid Cognyte contract. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Forty-five nonprofit and civil rights organizations have called on the Mamdani administration to stop pursuing AI-enhanced cell-site simulators for the NYPD. The request follows the department backing away from a $750,000 no-bid contract with Israeli technology company Cognyte after a Daily News report in October.

Why it matters

Cell-site simulators mimic cell towers to force nearby phones to connect, letting police track suspects, and advocates say AI capabilities raise the stakes for privacy. The NYPD was previously found to have used such devices more than 1,000 times in 2017 without a written policy, fueling concerns about oversight.

The coalition letter was signed by 45 organizations, including Justice Committee, the Legal Aid Society and Make the Road. The earlier Cognyte deal was valued at $750,000 before the department moved to an open procurement process.

The players

Cognyte

Cognyte is an Israeli technology company whose surveillance technology has drawn accusations of infringing on civil rights.

The details

The organizations asked Mayor Mamdani to block procurement of AI-enhanced cell-site simulators and to prevent the city from working with Cognyte in the future. The NYPD moved to an open procurement process after backing away from the no-bid arrangement.

2017: NYPD found to have used cell-site simulators more than 1,000 times without a written policy.
October: Daily News reports on the no-bid Cognyte contract; NYPD backs away from it.
Thursday, November 12, 2026: 45 organizations send letter urging Mayor Mamdani to stop AI cell-site simulators.

Roadmap

The 2017 finding that the NYPD used cell-site simulators more than 1,000 times without a written policy established the oversight problem advocates now cite. The current push applies that same concern to AI-enhanced versions of the technology.

Cell-site simulators can capture nearby phone connections, so residents near a targeted investigation may have their devices pinged. Advocates want the city to block AI-enhanced versions before procurement advances.

The takeaway

Cell-site tracking reaches beyond the suspects police target, so public scrutiny of how these tools are bought and governed matters for everyone whose phone connects to a nearby tower.