The future of high-tech policing in crime-ridden New York City has finally arrived with Gotham’s brand-new surveillance robot ready to make its highly anticipated debut in Times Square where it will be patrolling the subway along with a human partner.
On Friday, Mayor Eric Adams joined law enforcement officials at a news conference announcing that the 400-pound fully autonomous wheeled robot, which resembles a taller, sleeker version of the famous droid R2-D2 from the “Star Wars” franchise, will roll through the Midtown subway station on its first shift on a pilot program for two months accompanied by an NYPD officer.
“We’re committed to exploring innovative tools to continue to make this city the safest big city in America, and this robot K5, it has the potential to serve as an important tool in our toolbox,” said Hizzoner, a retired police officer.
(Video: CBS New York)
“This is below minimum wage,” Adams said of the robot that’s being leased for $9 an hour. “No bathroom breaks, no meal breaks.”
“It’s cost-effective— $9, I think, an hour? $9 an hour. That’s below minimum wage. And we only pay for it when it’s being operated and when it’s actually operating. So, this is a hugely cost-effective way, as we deal with very challenging budget restraints we need to find a more cost-efficient ways to bring about safety,” the city’s top Democrat said at the news conference.
“So, we’re going to look at the pilot, and then we’re going to make a determination of where are good places, like this. These are wide platforms. It’s easy to move around, so it’s not…this is not fit for everywhere. It’s about adapting based on where it is and then we would decide the expansion of it,” the mayor added.
Adams, who announced the pilot program earlier this year, took to X, the platform formerly named Twitter, to tout the K5 robot.
We must use every available method to keep New Yorkers safe — including state of the art technologies like the Knightscope K5 security robot.
These devices will serve as an important, innovative deterrent to crime so we can keep NYC the safest big city in America. pic.twitter.com/YEHuNIw8Va
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) September 22, 2023
Not everyone was as enthusiastic about K5’s debut as Mayor Adams and X users reacted with a resounding Bronx cheer.
Maybe a ‘Robot Mayor’ would ‘keep New Yorkers safe’ too?
— BattleRopeMan (@BattleRopeMan) September 22, 2023
These are not serious people.
There is no substitute for properly-trained police officers, in sufficient numbers, on the streets making contact with regular folks as a constant presence in their neighborhoods.
And there never will be.
— George From NY (@GeorgeFromNY1) September 22, 2023
That robot is gonna be stripped for parts by the second day.
— Jonas Goldsmith (@JonasRG) September 22, 2023
So, we need to cut funding for all social services, but we have the money to fund a RoboCop fleet. Got it.
— Sally Hourigan (@SallyHourigan) September 22, 2023
Arresting and prosecuting criminals would probably have more of an impact than go go gadget.
— Lex Luthor (@LexL538) September 22, 2023
have you tried not flooding the city with criminals first?
— Barbarian Capital (@BarbarianCap) September 22, 2023
So, we need to cut funding for all social services, but we have the money to fund a RoboCop fleet. Got it.
— Sally Hourigan (@SallyHourigan) September 22, 2023
If it hasn’t been programmed to address the perp with their proper pronouns and address them in a culturally sensitive way, absolutely not.
— Tribeless (@KimAJ1998) September 22, 2023
Everything is a boondoggle with you people. God forbid you hire more cops and let them do their job.
But there’s no money to be made for well-connected contractors in that, plus someone might call you racist.
— moderate centrist liberal (@personalrest) September 22, 2023
Privacy rights advocate Albert Fox Cahn, the executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, derisively referred to K5 as a “trash can on wheels.”
“If the mayor thinks there aren’t enough cameras in Times Square, then he’s more out of touch than I realized,” he said, according to the New York Times.
“It’s more surveillance theater,” Cahn added. “This is a mayor who doubles down on public relations stunts rather than public safety any chance he gets.”
“The K5 is best suited for securing large, outdoor spaces through the winters of the Northeast and the summers of the South. Give yourself additional eyes, ears and a voice by utilizing our fully integrated Knightscope Security Operations Center user interface. Now you have an advanced, force-multiplying physical deterrent on your team, giving you the power to better secure the places people work, study, and visit,” states Knightscope, the robot’s manufacturer on the company’s website.
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