New York City authorities on Tuesday unveiled three new high-tech police devices, including a robotic dog that critics called creepy when he 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 rolled out “transparent, coherent and always in close partnership with the people we serve,” said Commissioner Keechant Sewell, who joined Mayor Eric Adams and other officials at a Times Square news conference where the security robot and mechanical dog dubbed the Digidog .
“Digidog is out of the kennel”said Adams, a Democrat and former police officer. “Digidog is now part of the toolset we use.”
The city’s first robot police dog was leased in 2020 by Adams’ predecessor, former Mayor Bill de Blasio, but the city’s contract for the device was terminated after criticism ridicule it as creepy and dystopian.
stick up for
Adams said he won’t give in to pressure against the robot dog.
“Some people objected and we took a step back,” the mayor said. “I don’t work like that. I work looking for what is best for the city”.
According to Adams, the Digidog, weighing 32 kilos and remote controlledit will be used in risky situations, such as hostage-taking, starting this summer.
“If there is an entrenched suspect or someone armed inside a building, instead of sending the police, Digidog is sent,” he explains. “These are smart ways to use good technologies.”
The tracking system dubbed StarChase will allow police to launch a GPS tag that it will attach itself to a stolen car so officers can trace the location of the vehicle. The New York Police Department’s pilot program to use the system will run for 90 days, according to authorities.
The autonomous security robot, which Adams likened to a robot vacuum cleaner, will be deployed inside the Times Square subway station in a seven-month pilot program starting this summer, law enforcement said.
The device, which has been used in shopping malls and other places for several years, will initially have a human companionaccording to the police.
critics
Advocates of civil liberties and police reform have questioned the need for these high-tech devices.
“This latest announcement is just the latest example of how Mayor Adams allows for absolute overspending of the NYPD’s vastly inflated budget,” said Ileana Mendez-Penate, program director for Communities United for Police Reform.
“NYPD buys robot dogs and other sophisticated technology while New Yorkers they cannot access meal vouchers because city agencies are understaffed and New Yorkers are being evicted from their homes because they cannot access their right to legal aid.”
Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, said, “The NYPD is turning bad science fiction into a terrible police show. New York deserves real security, not a RoboCop imitation.”
PA agency
Translation: Elisa Carnelli
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.