You have the right to remain cyborg: NYPD’s new ROBOT cop that will police city’s subways is unveiled by NYC Mayor Eric Adams – in response to rising crime
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New York City’s busiest subway station has a new crew member: a nearly 400-pound robocop unveiled by New York Mayor Eric Adams.
“We are committed to exploring innovative tools to continue making this city the safest big city in America, and this robot K5 has the potential to serve as an important tool in our toolbox,” Adams said Friday as he delivered the machine revealed. .
The robot, a product of California-based autonomous security robots developer Knightscopehas four cameras that can be used to record video and moves at a speed of 5 km/h.
It will roam the Times Square – 42 subway station for two weeks with a human officer as part of a test run from City Hall. The station’s mezzanine level is then expected to be patrolled for two months.
Crime is up in nearly every category in New York City from last year, statistics show, despite Adams repeatedly claiming his campaign to fix the problem was successful.
The robot, a product of Knightscope, the developer of autonomous security robots, has four cameras that it can use to record video without sound and moves at a speed of 5 km/h (pictured today at the Times Square subway station)
New York Mayor Eric Adams is pictured above with his new Robocop introducing the machine at the Times Square subway station
The machine – called K5 – will roam the metro station for two weeks, accompanied by a human officer, from midnight to 6am
At an average of $9 per hour, said Adams the robot costs ‘below minimum wage’.
The robot – known as K5 – will roam the Times Square subway station from midnight to 6am.
The robot is one of several ventures the city is undertaking to use technology to meet Adams’s request election promise to reduce crime in the city.
The robot made its initial debut in April alongside a robotic police dog that the department said would be used to navigate dangerous situations.
Adams said the robot has a license plate reader, but no real-time facial recognition capabilities, which is a concern for privacy advocates.
The robot has a button that can connect subway riders with a live person at any time if they have questions or want to report an incident, Adams said.
Mayor Eric Adams ran his campaign on a promise to reduce crime in New York City and believes the robot recruits will be used to save lives and deter atrocities in the Big Apple.
However, New Yorkers are not on the same page as the mayor when it comes to unleashing robocops into the concrete jungle.
One resident shared his frustration with the new recruits on Twitter: “We want fully funded libraries and schools, not more expensive toys for the NYPD.”
While other residents said the robots are “dystopian surveillance technologies.”
It is then expected to patrol the station’s mezzanine floor for two months and assist metro passengers who have questions or need to report an incident. The robot will not stand on subway platforms.
Crime in New York City skyrocketed from 2020 to 2023. Eric Adams believes the robots will help deter criminals in the city
The New York City Police Department released its annual breakdown of crimes this past year — revealing numbers rose in virtually every category, despite recent claims from the mayor.
The statistics paint a bleak picture of the city’s efforts to tackle crime, which has soared since the pandemic — despite Adams repeatedly claiming his campaign to solve the problem was successful.