In a move seemingly inspired by the films of Paul Verhoeven, New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently unveiled a new 420 pound automated robot, K5, that the New York Police Department (NYPD) plans to introduce with a trial at the Times Square subway station. As he unveiled the robot, the Mayor formed half a heart with his hand and did not seem to realize that the robot could not complete the other half of the heart due to its lack of hands. According to Mayor Adams, the robot will collect and provide information for humans to act on in a security incident and act as a preventative measure against crime. It has a button which allows New Yorkers to talk to a human operator and contains a speaker for audio messages. At best, the robot will be able to provide information it picks up via its camera to police officers or other first responders. But similar initiatives in different cities have proved less than effective at deterring crime. Furthermore, the robot has raised concerns among privacy and civil rights activists that believe such technology could be weaponized in a sinister fashion.
Other cities which have attempted to utilize the K5 robot for policing purposes have already encountered difficulties. A K5 deployed in San Francisco was covered in barbecue sauce and toppled. One in Mountain View was attacked by an intoxicated man. Although the robot weighs 450 pounds and is not easily broken or toppled, it seems more likely than not that at least one person will give it a go. Many New Yorkers are against a city patrolled by robots and there are other ways that discontent could manifest, such as vandalizing the robot or obstructing its camera lens. The robot is a large piece of technology and will take up significant space in already-crowded subway station that is the biggest in New York City. The K5 will also be in the station during the late hours of the night, which seems to increase the chance that something unfortunate will happen to it. Although the robot currently has a handler which will likely discourage any potential wrongdoers from interfering with it, the handler will only be working with it for the first two months that it’s in the subway station.
The notion of a police robot has also raised concerns about the length in which technology can be effectively utilized in law enforcement. Mayor Adams seemingly has no qualms and has also expressed his support for the use of digidog, a robotic dog that the NYPD began using in the spring of this year. In 2021, the New York City residents overwhelmingly opposed the use of the dog and the NYPD deigned to use the technology. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio called the digidog program “creepy” and “alienating.” But now in 2023, the NYPD and Mayor Adams seem to be going all in on technological advances in urban policing despite concerns over violations of privacy and civil liberties. Albert Fox Cahn, the executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, labeled the K5 a “trash can on wheels.” Although the robot does not currently employ facial recognition technology, there are widespread concerns that this could become a reality. Even without such technology, the robot is already adding to an over-surveilled environment in the Times Square subway station, which features hundreds of security cameras and dozens of armed police officers. There is also a chance that New York follows San Francisco’s lead and attempts to arm a police robot. Although San Francisco never weaponized their security robots due to massive public backlash, it is highly concerning that law enforcement entities would even float the idea in the first place.
Although crime is always a hot button issue in New York City politics, which Mayor Adams used to win the mayoral race, it seems unlikely that the enormous K5 robot will have any tangible effect in reducing crime rates. It may even make policing more difficult. Public trust between citizens and law enforcement is diminishing and utilizing a faceless robot instead of human police officers in the name of cost cutting and harm prevention is a risky gamble. Although the robots in use are currently not weaponized or used in dangerous situations, there are clear and pressing concerns that this could eventually be the case. Given the New York City police department’s record in responding to emergencies, the use of robot police should not be a welcome step for any New Yorkers. There are also other problems in the City such as soaring cost of living prices or a weakened public infrastructure that Mayor Adams could choose to address. Instead, he has given the City’s police a tool out of a sci-fi movie.
Theodore Brita is a senior majoring in political science.