J'MERE'S LAW NYS
The Issue
J’MERE’S LAW
Petition to Require Metal Detectors and Enhanced Security Screening at All New York State Warehouses and Distribution Centers
In Memory of J’mere Tyrese Ridley-Smith
His life mattered. His legacy will help protect others.
Background and Reason for This Petition
On July 26, 2025, my son J’mere Tyrese Ridley-Smith, age 25, was working at the Wegmans Distribution Center in Gates, New York, when he was shot and killed by his co-worker inside the facility.
His death demonstrates the potentially devastating consequences when a firearm enters a workplace.
This petition seeks preventive change so that other warehouse and distribution center employees and their families throughout New York State do not experience a similar loss.
Warehouses and distribution centers can involve substantial workforces, multiple shifts, contractors, vendors, visitors, drivers, loading operations, parking areas, and numerous access-control considerations.
J’mere’s Law asks New York State leaders to treat weapon screening as one part of a comprehensive workplace-violence prevention and access-control strategy for warehouses and distribution centers across the state.
Current Gap in New York State Law
New York State law does not currently require private warehouses and distribution centers to install or use metal detectors or weapon-screening systems at employee, contractor, or visitor entrances.
Existing warehouse laws address important matters such as quotas, work-speed data, retaliation, and injury-reduction programs, but they do not establish a general requirement for metal detectors or mandatory weapon screening at warehouse and distribution center facilities.
New York’s public-employer workplace-violence law requires covered public employers to evaluate risks and implement prevention programs, and New York State Department of Labor guidance identifies metal detectors as one possible security technology for reducing workplace-violence risk.
However, those provisions do not create a general metal-detector mandate for private warehouse and distribution center employers.
J’mere’s Law seeks to address this gap by establishing a statewide preventive requirement for warehouses and distribution centers in New York State.
What We Are Requesting
We are asking the New York State Legislature to enact J’mere’s Law, establishing appropriate statewide requirements that include:
- Metal detectors or comparable weapon-screening devices at designated employee, contractor, and visitor entry points at warehouses and distribution centers throughout New York State.
- Trained security personnel or other qualified personnel to continuously staff designated screening points during facility operations.
- Clear written weapons policies addressing firearms, knives, and other prohibited dangerous weapons, subject to lawful exceptions and accommodations.
- Fair, consistent, and respectful screening procedures, including appropriate privacy, anti-discrimination, disability, religious-accommodation, and labor-law safeguards.
- Integration of weapon screening and access control with workplace-violence prevention, including threat reporting, emergency response, and facility safety procedures.
- Periodic facility security-risk assessments addressing entrances, exits, parking areas, loading areas, lighting, cameras, prior incidents, reported threats, and other identified vulnerabilities.
- Protected employee reporting procedures so workers can report weapons, threats, violent conduct, or security concerns without retaliation.
- New York State oversight and enforcement, including appropriate rulemaking, compliance review, complaint procedures, corrective action, and meaningful enforcement.
Legal and Safety Context
Warehouse Worker Protection Act — New York Labor Law Article 21-A
New York already regulates certain warehouse distribution center employers in areas including quotas, work-speed data, retaliation, and injury-reduction programs.
These protections are important, but the Act does not currently require metal detectors or mandatory weapon screening at warehouse and distribution center entrances.
J’mere’s Law proposes a separate workplace-violence prevention and security requirement.
New York Workplace-Violence Framework
New York Labor Law §27-b applies to public employers and requires workplace-violence risk evaluation and prevention programs.
New York State Department of Labor guidance lists security technologies such as metal detectors among possible physical controls, but this is not a general statutory mandate for private warehouse employers.
Federal OSHA
OSHA’s general-industry standards and the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s General Duty Clause provide additional workplace-safety context, but they do not impose a general federal requirement that private warehouses or distribution centers install metal detectors.
Expected Benefits of J’Mere’s Law
The proposed measures are intended to:
- Add another preventive layer of workplace security.
- Reduce the likelihood of prohibited weapons entering secured work areas.
- Strengthen employee safety and confidence.
- Improve protections for nightshift and high-volume warehouse operations.
- Promote more consistent access-control practices.
- Increase accountability for workplace security.
- No single security measure can guarantee that workplace violence will never occur.
For that reason, metal detectors and weapon screening should be combined with threat assessment, employee reporting, training, access control, emergency-response procedures, and other appropriate workplace-safety measures.
Request to the New York State Legislature, Governor, and Department of Labor
Because New York State does not currently require metal detectors at private warehouse and distribution center facilities, we respectfully ask the New York State Senate and Assembly to work with Legislative Counsel to establish appropriate statewide statutory requirements for:
Metal detectors • Enhanced security screening • Security staffing • Privacy protections • Reasonable accommodations • Enforcement • Penalties • Implementation timelines • State oversight
We ask lawmakers to draft and introduce J’mere’s Law, identify sponsors in the Senate and Assembly, conduct appropriate committee review, and work toward passage of legislation establishing meaningful preventive security protections for warehouse and distribution center employees throughout New York State.
We further ask the Governor of New York and New York State Department of Labor to support and administer appropriate protections within their lawful authority.
Core Elements for Legislative Counsel
Statewide Scope:
Apply the proposed requirements to warehouses and distribution centers throughout New York State, with legally precise definitions and appropriate implementation provisions.
Current-Law Gap:
Expressly establish a metal-detector and weapon-screening requirement because existing New York warehouse law does not currently impose such a general mandate.
Weapon Detection:
Establish standards for approved metal detectors or comparable technology, including placement, testing, maintenance, accessibility, and operation.
Screening Protocols:
Establish consistent procedures for employees, contractors, vendors, and visitors, including lawful exceptions, privacy protections, and reasonable accommodations.
Security Staffing:
Establish appropriate training and qualification standards for personnel operating screening systems and responding to detections.
Risk Assessments:
Require periodic evaluation of access points, parking and loading areas, lighting, cameras, prior incidents, threats, and other relevant security risks.
Workplace-Violence Prevention:
Integrate weapon screening with threat reporting, emergency communications, lockdown or evacuation procedures, and coordination with emergency responders.
Employee Protection:
Protect employees who make good-faith reports involving weapons, threats, violence, or security concerns from retaliation.
Oversight and Enforcement:
Establish responsible state authority, inspections, complaint procedures, corrective action, penalties, implementation periods, and appropriate compliance assistance.
A Message From J’mere’s Mother
“My son J’mere went to work that day, and he should have been able to come home. Instead, his life was taken while he was at work. As his mother, I never want another family to experience the pain of losing their loved one to workplace violence.
That is why I am asking New York State lawmakers to take action and require metal detectors and stronger security measures at warehouses and distribution centers throughout New York State.
If a metal detector can stop even one weapon from entering the workplace and potentially save one life, then I believe it is worth it.
I cannot bring my son back, but I can fight for change in his name. J’mere’s life mattered, and I want his legacy to help protect others.”
— Jamala Ridley
Mother of J’mere Tyrese Ridley-Smith
Organizer of J’mere’s Law
Statement of Support
By signing this petition, we affirm that employees working at warehouses and distribution centers throughout New York State deserve meaningful preventive workplace-safety protections.
We call upon the New York State Legislature to enact J’mere’s Law and establish appropriate mandatory metal-detector and enhanced security-screening requirements designed to reduce the risk of dangerous weapons entering these workplaces.
Please Sign and Share J’mere’s Law
Your signature can help us demonstrate to New York State lawmakers that workers, families, and communities support stronger preventive workplace-safety measures.
After signing, please share J’mere’s Law with:
Family • Friends • Coworkers • Churches • Community organizations • Labor organizations • Workplace-safety advocates • Elected officials • Social-media networks
Every signature helps carry J’mere’s name and this call for change forward.
IN MEMORY OF J’MERE TYRESE RIDLEY-SMITH
His life mattered. His legacy will help protect others.
J’MERE’S LAW
Protect Workers. Prevent Workplace Violence. Save Lives.
Petition Organizer:
Jamala Ridley
Mother of J’mere Tyrese Ridley-Smith
J’mere’s Law — Workplace Safety Advocacy
1,186
The Issue
J’MERE’S LAW
Petition to Require Metal Detectors and Enhanced Security Screening at All New York State Warehouses and Distribution Centers
In Memory of J’mere Tyrese Ridley-Smith
His life mattered. His legacy will help protect others.
Background and Reason for This Petition
On July 26, 2025, my son J’mere Tyrese Ridley-Smith, age 25, was working at the Wegmans Distribution Center in Gates, New York, when he was shot and killed by his co-worker inside the facility.
His death demonstrates the potentially devastating consequences when a firearm enters a workplace.
This petition seeks preventive change so that other warehouse and distribution center employees and their families throughout New York State do not experience a similar loss.
Warehouses and distribution centers can involve substantial workforces, multiple shifts, contractors, vendors, visitors, drivers, loading operations, parking areas, and numerous access-control considerations.
J’mere’s Law asks New York State leaders to treat weapon screening as one part of a comprehensive workplace-violence prevention and access-control strategy for warehouses and distribution centers across the state.
Current Gap in New York State Law
New York State law does not currently require private warehouses and distribution centers to install or use metal detectors or weapon-screening systems at employee, contractor, or visitor entrances.
Existing warehouse laws address important matters such as quotas, work-speed data, retaliation, and injury-reduction programs, but they do not establish a general requirement for metal detectors or mandatory weapon screening at warehouse and distribution center facilities.
New York’s public-employer workplace-violence law requires covered public employers to evaluate risks and implement prevention programs, and New York State Department of Labor guidance identifies metal detectors as one possible security technology for reducing workplace-violence risk.
However, those provisions do not create a general metal-detector mandate for private warehouse and distribution center employers.
J’mere’s Law seeks to address this gap by establishing a statewide preventive requirement for warehouses and distribution centers in New York State.
What We Are Requesting
We are asking the New York State Legislature to enact J’mere’s Law, establishing appropriate statewide requirements that include:
- Metal detectors or comparable weapon-screening devices at designated employee, contractor, and visitor entry points at warehouses and distribution centers throughout New York State.
- Trained security personnel or other qualified personnel to continuously staff designated screening points during facility operations.
- Clear written weapons policies addressing firearms, knives, and other prohibited dangerous weapons, subject to lawful exceptions and accommodations.
- Fair, consistent, and respectful screening procedures, including appropriate privacy, anti-discrimination, disability, religious-accommodation, and labor-law safeguards.
- Integration of weapon screening and access control with workplace-violence prevention, including threat reporting, emergency response, and facility safety procedures.
- Periodic facility security-risk assessments addressing entrances, exits, parking areas, loading areas, lighting, cameras, prior incidents, reported threats, and other identified vulnerabilities.
- Protected employee reporting procedures so workers can report weapons, threats, violent conduct, or security concerns without retaliation.
- New York State oversight and enforcement, including appropriate rulemaking, compliance review, complaint procedures, corrective action, and meaningful enforcement.
Legal and Safety Context
Warehouse Worker Protection Act — New York Labor Law Article 21-A
New York already regulates certain warehouse distribution center employers in areas including quotas, work-speed data, retaliation, and injury-reduction programs.
These protections are important, but the Act does not currently require metal detectors or mandatory weapon screening at warehouse and distribution center entrances.
J’mere’s Law proposes a separate workplace-violence prevention and security requirement.
New York Workplace-Violence Framework
New York Labor Law §27-b applies to public employers and requires workplace-violence risk evaluation and prevention programs.
New York State Department of Labor guidance lists security technologies such as metal detectors among possible physical controls, but this is not a general statutory mandate for private warehouse employers.
Federal OSHA
OSHA’s general-industry standards and the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s General Duty Clause provide additional workplace-safety context, but they do not impose a general federal requirement that private warehouses or distribution centers install metal detectors.
Expected Benefits of J’Mere’s Law
The proposed measures are intended to:
- Add another preventive layer of workplace security.
- Reduce the likelihood of prohibited weapons entering secured work areas.
- Strengthen employee safety and confidence.
- Improve protections for nightshift and high-volume warehouse operations.
- Promote more consistent access-control practices.
- Increase accountability for workplace security.
- No single security measure can guarantee that workplace violence will never occur.
For that reason, metal detectors and weapon screening should be combined with threat assessment, employee reporting, training, access control, emergency-response procedures, and other appropriate workplace-safety measures.
Request to the New York State Legislature, Governor, and Department of Labor
Because New York State does not currently require metal detectors at private warehouse and distribution center facilities, we respectfully ask the New York State Senate and Assembly to work with Legislative Counsel to establish appropriate statewide statutory requirements for:
Metal detectors • Enhanced security screening • Security staffing • Privacy protections • Reasonable accommodations • Enforcement • Penalties • Implementation timelines • State oversight
We ask lawmakers to draft and introduce J’mere’s Law, identify sponsors in the Senate and Assembly, conduct appropriate committee review, and work toward passage of legislation establishing meaningful preventive security protections for warehouse and distribution center employees throughout New York State.
We further ask the Governor of New York and New York State Department of Labor to support and administer appropriate protections within their lawful authority.
Core Elements for Legislative Counsel
Statewide Scope:
Apply the proposed requirements to warehouses and distribution centers throughout New York State, with legally precise definitions and appropriate implementation provisions.
Current-Law Gap:
Expressly establish a metal-detector and weapon-screening requirement because existing New York warehouse law does not currently impose such a general mandate.
Weapon Detection:
Establish standards for approved metal detectors or comparable technology, including placement, testing, maintenance, accessibility, and operation.
Screening Protocols:
Establish consistent procedures for employees, contractors, vendors, and visitors, including lawful exceptions, privacy protections, and reasonable accommodations.
Security Staffing:
Establish appropriate training and qualification standards for personnel operating screening systems and responding to detections.
Risk Assessments:
Require periodic evaluation of access points, parking and loading areas, lighting, cameras, prior incidents, threats, and other relevant security risks.
Workplace-Violence Prevention:
Integrate weapon screening with threat reporting, emergency communications, lockdown or evacuation procedures, and coordination with emergency responders.
Employee Protection:
Protect employees who make good-faith reports involving weapons, threats, violence, or security concerns from retaliation.
Oversight and Enforcement:
Establish responsible state authority, inspections, complaint procedures, corrective action, penalties, implementation periods, and appropriate compliance assistance.
A Message From J’mere’s Mother
“My son J’mere went to work that day, and he should have been able to come home. Instead, his life was taken while he was at work. As his mother, I never want another family to experience the pain of losing their loved one to workplace violence.
That is why I am asking New York State lawmakers to take action and require metal detectors and stronger security measures at warehouses and distribution centers throughout New York State.
If a metal detector can stop even one weapon from entering the workplace and potentially save one life, then I believe it is worth it.
I cannot bring my son back, but I can fight for change in his name. J’mere’s life mattered, and I want his legacy to help protect others.”
— Jamala Ridley
Mother of J’mere Tyrese Ridley-Smith
Organizer of J’mere’s Law
Statement of Support
By signing this petition, we affirm that employees working at warehouses and distribution centers throughout New York State deserve meaningful preventive workplace-safety protections.
We call upon the New York State Legislature to enact J’mere’s Law and establish appropriate mandatory metal-detector and enhanced security-screening requirements designed to reduce the risk of dangerous weapons entering these workplaces.
Please Sign and Share J’mere’s Law
Your signature can help us demonstrate to New York State lawmakers that workers, families, and communities support stronger preventive workplace-safety measures.
After signing, please share J’mere’s Law with:
Family • Friends • Coworkers • Churches • Community organizations • Labor organizations • Workplace-safety advocates • Elected officials • Social-media networks
Every signature helps carry J’mere’s name and this call for change forward.
IN MEMORY OF J’MERE TYRESE RIDLEY-SMITH
His life mattered. His legacy will help protect others.
J’MERE’S LAW
Protect Workers. Prevent Workplace Violence. Save Lives.
Petition Organizer:
Jamala Ridley
Mother of J’mere Tyrese Ridley-Smith
J’mere’s Law — Workplace Safety Advocacy
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Petition created on September 23, 2026