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NYPD and Mayor Eric Adams announce new fleet of 'Big Brother' robocops to patrol city streets and subways

The announcement, which outraged a large number of New Yorkers, was held in Times Square, where three types of robots made their debut

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: NYPD and the city mayor have announced a new fleet of 'Big Brother' robocops that will help to curb the crime rate in the Big Apple and will also patrol the city's streets and subways. The Tuesday, April 11, 2023, announcement, which outraged a large number of New Yorkers, was held in Times Square, where three types of robots made their debut. The reintroduced robotic police dog will help officers navigate dangerous situations and the city is trialing two for $750,000.

Besides, the K5 Autonomous Security Robot and StarChase GPS system will monitor people and vehicles, although their costs were not disclosed. Mayor Eric Adams ran his campaign with the hope of driving down the crime rates in New York City and is optimistic that the robotic recruits will succeed in saving lives and deter atrocities in the popular tourist destination. 

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New Yorkers are not happy

The city residents, however, did not seem to be happy with the announcement. One resident shared their frustration about the new recruits on Twitter, "We want fully funded libraries and schools, not more expensive toys for the NYPD." Other residents termed the robots "dystopian surveillance technologies."

The New York City Police Department released an alarming report which shows a massive surge in crimes in virtually every category despite recent assertions from the mayor. Despite Adams repeatedly claiming in his campaign that he has been successful in resolving the issue, the statistics portray a dreary picture of the city's efforts to address crime that's rocketed since the pandemic. 

What is K5 Autonomous Security Robot?

The event was opened by Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell. She highlighted that to safeguard the modern city, officers must be "equipped with the tools, training, and technology necessary to do that job safely and effectively." K5 autonomous security was the first to hit the streets which features artificial intelligence to provide real-time incident notifications to first responders. The egg-shaped machine, manufactured by Knighscope, is equipped with microphones, a camera, and sonar and lidar sensors. The robot uses self-driving technology like the robotic vacuum Roomba. It stands about 5.5 feet tall and weighs 400 pounds, with a maximum speed of three miles per hour.

At the press conference, Jeffrey Maddrey, chief of the department at the NYPD, said, "The K5 has been used by law enforcement agencies, including the Huntington Park Police, college campuses throughout this country, corporations, shopping malls, and other places where needed security and additional deterrents of crime was needed." The K5 is on lease to the NYPD as a trial basis, which is set to start June or July, and will roam around Times Square or subway stations.

What is the StarChase GPS system?

The StarChase GPS tracking comes in two forms, handheld and vehicle-mounted devices. It discharges a projectile onto the vehicle, allowing the police to use GPS to track it.  "On Saturday night, we had it deployed with some trained officers," Chief John Chell said, according to Daily Mail. "There was a stolen car in Queens. The car was followed into the Bronx. One of our Bronx units had this device. They utilized this device. The car pulled over, we made the arrest, we took a stolen car off the street. And just as important, we kept our officers safe, mitigated the pursuit, and kept the community safe."

Police said that the device which is used in shopping centers and other locations for several years, will at first be joined by a human partner. 

The final robocop

The final robocop was a yellow four-legged machine that trotted around in the street. Adams said the remote-controlled, 70-pound Digidog will be deployed in risky situations like hostage standoffs starting this summer. He also said that he will not bow to anti-robot dog pressure. "It was something that was introduced previously under the previous administration. And a few loud people were opposed to it, and we took a step back," he said, adding, "That is not how I operate. I operate on looking at what's best for the city." The robots are also capable of two-way communication, explained Adams. For example, if an officer needs to talk with a suspect, they can without getting in harm's way. 

In 2021, the robot dog was canceled after the dystopian four-legged surveillance machine was condemned for targeting "low-income communities of color". Progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called it a "robotic surveillance ground drone." "Shout out to everyone who fought against community advocates who demanded these resources go to investments like school counseling instead," Ocacio-Cortez tweeted on February 25, 2021, adding, "Now robotic surveillance ground drones are being deployed for testing on low-income communities of color with under-resourced schools." The $94,000 contract was scheduled to end in August but was terminated on April 22. 

The robot dog faced comparisons to an episode of the Netflix show 'Black Mirror', which the show's creator has said was inspired by similar robots made by Boston Dynamics. A reporter asked Adams during this week's event how he plans "to calm people's suspicion of the device and reassure that, being transparent, that it's going to be used." 

"Well, first this is New York, 8.5 million people, 35 million opinions. So no matter what you do, there are going to be pros and cons," the mayor replied. "We are doing what others didn't do. We're putting it right here in Times Square. We're allowing people to come in and look at Digidog and K5 and others. And we are going to bring in community leaders and say, "Here's the technology that we have. Would you like this in your community?" he added.