New York City authorities introduced three innovative policing technologies on Tuesday, with a robotic dog called Digidog at the forefront, which had faced criticism for being eerie when it was initially employed by the police two and a half years ago, The Associated Press (AP) reports.
Additionally, a GPS tracker for stolen vehicles and a cone-shaped security robot were unveiled.
Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell stated that the devices would be implemented in a “transparent, consistent and always done in close collaboration with the people we serve.”
Democrat Mayor Eric Adams, a former police officer, displayed Digidog and the security robot at a press conference in Times Square.
“Digidog is out of the pound,” Adams announced. “Digidog is now part of the toolkit that we are using.”
The robotic police dog was first leased in 2020 by Adams’ predecessor, former Mayor Bill de Blasio, but the contract was terminated early due to critics labeling the device as “creepy and dystopian,” AP notes.
Those questioning the necessity for such devices include Ileana Mendez-Penate, a program director of Communities United for Police Reform, and Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project.
“This latest announcement is just the most recent example of how Mayor Adams allows unmitigated overspending of the NYPD’s massively bloated budget,” Mendez-Penate argued.
“The NYPD is turning bad science fiction into terrible policing. New York deserves real safety, not a knockoff RoboCop,” Cahan said.
Addressing opposition against the robotic dog, Mayor Adams remarked, “A few loud people were opposed to it and we took a step back. That is not how I operate. I operate on looking at what’s best for the city.”
Adams explained that starting this summer the 70-pound remote-controlled Digidog will be utilized in high-risk scenarios, such as hostage situations or to confront a “barricaded suspect.”
“If you have someone that’s inside a building that is armed, instead of sending police in there, you send Digidog in there,” he said. “So these are smart ways of using good technologies.”
The New York Police Department will carry out a 90-day pilot program for StarChase, a less-than-lethal vehicle tracking system that will enable the police to launch a GPS tag that attaches to a stolen car, allowing officers to track its location.
Meanwhile, the Autonomous Security Robot will be deployed inside the Times Square subway station in a seven-month pilot program starting this summer and will be accompanied by a human partner.
