So anyway, New York City police have acquired an unpopular handful of expensive robots. These robots were paid for with asset forfeiture funds, meaning money that NYPD collected without necessarily proving it was involved in a crime.
RoboCop? No, RoboDog: Robotic dog rejoins New York police
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 cut short after critics derided it as creepy and dystopian.
It gets worse.
Robots deployed to assist New York City police … again
This time, using asset forfeiture funds, the NYPD has spent $750,000 on two “Digidogs.” Built by Massachusetts-based Boston Dynamics, the quadruped robot — also known as Spot — is incredibly versatile and can operate autonomously or semi-autonomously.