NYPD’s crime-monitoring robots to be deployed in Times Square, subways

The New York Police Department is gearing up to deploy several new crime-monitoring robots in Times Square and the city’s subway system, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell and Mayor Eric Adams stated during a Tuesday press conference.

“We cannot be afraid of [the technology],” Adams said. “If we were not willing to move forward and use technology to properly keep cities safe, then we will not keep up with those who are doing harmful things to hurt New York.”

The department recently added a four-legged “Digi-dog” and a 400-pound K5 Autonomous Security Robot.

The egg-shaped K5 stands five and a half feet high and travels up to three miles per hour. It is equipped with 16 microphones, four wide-angle HD cameras, and sonar and lidar sensors.

The robot, manufactured by Silicon Valley-based security technology company Knightscope, can also recognize license plates and mobile devices that have been previously entered into a database.

Knightscope executive vice president and chief client officer Stacy Stephens explained that the robot was created to provide security guards with improved situational awareness and record evidence for criminal prosecutions.

“The robots are for observing and reporting, they are not intended to be offensive in their abilities,” Stephens said.

The K5 was recently rolled out at Lowe’s stores in Philadelphia.

Lowe’s senior manager of corporate communications, Larry Costello, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the outdoor security robots are part of a pilot project to “heighten the security and safety of our locations.”

Some locals have already coined the futuristic tech “snitchBOT.”

In 2021, the NYPD deployed the Boston Dynamic “Digi-dog” but quickly ended its use after public backlash. However, the department plans to deploy two of the robots again to be used in hostage or other dangerous situations, Adams stated.

The NYPD also has plans to order StarChase, a GPS-tracking device that would allow law enforcement to track cars remotely.

“To safeguard our modern city and a forward-looking world, it is essential that our officers are equipped with the tools, training and technology necessary to do that job safely and effectively,” Sewell said.

“We have maximized public and officer safety through emerging technology, and that approach continues today,” Sewell added. “But we know that technology is just a tool, and it is only as effective as the person or people using it.”

While the department has not provided the cost of the six-month robot pilot program, NYPD Chief of Department Jeff Maddrey stated that the department would begin with one K5 unit this summer, which it plans to use in Times Square and the subways.

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