New York City’s Techno-Authoritarian Mayor Unveils New Police Robots

Justin Hendrix is CEO and Editor of Tech Policy Press. Views expressed here are his own. NYPD press announcement in Times Square, April 11, 2023. Source Speaking at a press conference in Times Square alongside New York City Police Department (NYPD) officials, Mayor Eric Adams helped unveil three new devices in the NYPD’s arsenal, including a K5 Autonomous Security Robot; the “Digidog,” a robot designed to enter dangerous situations; and StarChase, a gun used to shoot a projectile containing a GPS tracking device at fleeing vehicles.  “The three we are mentioning today is only the beginning,” said Adams, a retired police captain who won office in 2021 in part on promises to reduce crime. He said the City was “scanning the globe” for new law enforcement technologies. “This is the beginning of a series of rollouts we are going to do to show how public safety has transformed itself.”  “I’m a computer geek,” Adams said. “I believe that technology is here. We cannot be afraid of it.”  Indeed, Adams has shown a high degree of enthusiasm for a variety of surveillance and law enforcement technologies since assuming office:  Last year, Adams attended a demonstration of drones equipped with thermal cameras, night vision and sensors, and reportedly directed his Chief Technology Officer (and former NYPD CIO) Matthew Fraser to begin talks with the manufacturers. Adams has explored a “dramatic expansion” of the City’s use of facial recognition technology, including using it to identify individuals on social media. “If you’re on Facebook,…New York City’s Techno-Authoritarian Mayor Unveils New Police Robots