NYPD rolls out ‘snitchBOT’ to patrol city subways, monitor criminals
Rise of the machines.
The NYPD is rolling out several crime-fighting robots — including one dubbed a “snitchBOT” that will patrol Times Square and city subways.
“The Terminator”-esque tech is one of three new pieces of futuristic equipment that the NYPD has already started to pilot to help with policing, said Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell and Mayor Eric Adams at 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.”
Two controversial four-legged “Digi-dogs” — which cost a total of nearly $750,000 — made it on the force a few weeks ago.
The K5 Autonomous Security Robot is being added and is an egg-shaped bot produced by Knightscope that can detect people during restricted hours and is equipped with more than a dozen microphones and a 360-degree HD camera, as well as sonar and lidar sensors.
It also has a license-plate reader.
The bot — about 5.5 feet high and 400 pounds — travels at a max speed of 3 mph.
The single rented K5, along with a seventh-month service subscription as part of the pilot, will run the department $12,250, officials said.
“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, adding, “In the case of the NYPD, this has been true for nearly two centuries.
K5 Autonomous Security Robot
- Nickname: “SnitchBOT”
- Some bells and whistles: More than a dozen microphones and a 360-degree HD camera, as well as sonar and lidar sensors and a license-plate reader
- Height: 5.5 feet
- Weight: 400 pounds
- Maximum speed: 3 mph
- Cost to NYPD: $12,250 for a seven-month rental of one bot with software
- Manufacturer: Knightscope
“We have maximized public and officer safety through emerging technology, and that approach continues today,” Sewell said. “But we know that technology is just a tool, and it is only as effective as the person or people using it.”
The K5 bot is “intended for outdoor use running 24/7 on its own, including autonomously recharging itself without any human intervention,” according to the Knighscope website.
“[It] is best suited for securing large, outdoor spaces through the winters of the Northeast and the summers of the South” but also can be used indoors, the manufacturer said.
NYPD Chief of Department Jeff Maddrey said cops will start off with one leased K5 unit in June or July that will be used in Times Square and the subway as part of a six-month pilot with a human partner.
The robot was rolled out a few weeks at Lowes locations in Philadelphia — where the locals have already dubbed it “snitchBOT,” according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Spot
- Nickname: “Digi-dog”
- Main trick for NYPD: Useful in hostage and other dangerous situations
- Height: About 1.5 feet
- Length: 3.5 feet
- Weight: 50 pounds
- Maximum speed: 3.6 mph
- Cost: $369,000 a pop
- Manufacturer: Boston Dynamics
The police robots will also see the return of Boston Dynamic “Digi-dog,” which was last used by the NYPD in 2021 but was quickly returned when the public started comparing its use to a “Black Mirror” episode.
A police spokesman said at the time that the contract was terminated after weeks of blowback from the City Council and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
The Big Apple police force will soon get two of the four-legged machines to be used in hostage situations or in other dangerous conditions, according to Adams.
The two robo-dogs will get equipped with tech to detect dangerous gases. They will be paid for with NYPD forfeiture money instead of budget funds and cost $738,000.
“A few loud people were opposed to [them previously], and we just took a step back,” Adams said of the first canceled contract with Boston Dynamics. “That is not how I operate or look at what’s best for the city.”
A transit cop told The Post on Tuesday, “No one is concerned about robots taking their jobs — we are thousands of cops short.”
But a Manhattan cop warned, “The robots will be sitting ducks.
“Never mind getting graffitied, people will try to destroy them.
“If someone is able to destroy them and gets arrested, will they be charged with assaulting a police officer or will it be a property crime?’’ the officer quipped.
Another Manhattan cop said the egg-shaped K5s “look like the machine that wipe up spills in the supermarket.
“Will these robots wipe up blood from victims?”
In addition to the robots, the NYPD will be equipped with StarChase — a GPS device that allows cops to affix the tech to a car and track it remotely.
That tech will come out of the department’s budget and costs $19,551 for seven trackers and a one-year subscription to the company’s service.
Police sources say the tech was already used this past weekend, but questions about its use to the company were not returned Monday.
-Additional reporting by Larry Celona
