Robot Dog Returns to New York Police Department – ​​MyStateline.com

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City officials unveiled three new high-tech police devices on Tuesday. That includes a robot dog that critics called creepy when it first joined the police force two and a half years ago.

The new devices, which also include a stolen car GPS tracker and a cone-shaped security robot, will be “transparent, consistent, and always done in close collaboration with the people we serve.” , the police chief said. The Times said Keecchant Sewell, who joined Mayor Eric Adams and other officials at his Square press conference.

Adams, a Democrat and former police officer, said, “Desidogs are powerless.” “Digidog is now part of our toolkit.”

The city’s first robotic police dog was leased by Adams’ predecessor, former mayor Bill de Blasio, in 2020, but the deal for the city’s device fell through after critics derided it as creepy and dystopian. was discontinued.

Adams said he would not yield to pressure from anti-robot dogs.

The mayor said, “We took a step back because there were a few people who were yelling against it.” “It’s not my way. I’m working on what’s best for this city.”

Adams said the remote-controlled 70-pound (32-kilogram) Digidog will be deployed in dangerous situations, such as confrontations with hostages, starting this summer.

“If there’s a suspect barricaded in, if there’s someone inside an armed building, instead of sending the police there, we’ll send the desidogs there,” he said. It’s a smart way to use great technology.”

A tracking system called StarChase allows police to activate and attach GPS tags to stolen vehicles, allowing officers to track the vehicle’s location. The New York Police Department’s pilot program to use the system will last 90 days, officials said.

The autonomous security robot, which Adams likened to a Roomba, will be deployed inside the Times Square subway station in a seven-month pilot program starting this summer, police officials said.

Police say the device has been in use at shopping centers and elsewhere for several years, initially with a human partner.

Civil libertarians and supporters of police reform questioned the need for high-tech gadgets.

“This latest announcement is just another example of how Mayor Adams has relentlessly allowed the NYPD to squander an enormous amount of money,” said Ileana Mendez-Penate, program director for Community United for Police Renovation. “The NYPD buys robot dogs and other great technology, but New York City officials are unable to access food stamps because they are understaffed, and New Yorkers are being evicted for not being able to access attorney rights. increase.”

said Albert Fox Cahn, Executive Director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project. New York deserves true safety, not a Robocop knockoff. “