The Los Angeles City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to accept the donation of a dog-like robot for the LAPD.
Amid lingering concerns about surveillance and safety, the Los Angeles City Council is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to accept the donation of a dog-like robot for the LAPD.
Under the department’s policy, its use would be restricted to incidents involving the SWAT team, such as an active shooter, barricaded suspect or explosive device.As with other police technologies, they worry about its potential for misuse to harm and spy on Black and brown communities. On social media, critics of the LAPD’s plan have circulated news stories about the robotic canine’s disastrous deployment in New York City.
LAPD Lt. Ruben Lopez, who oversees SWAT, said the department learned from what happened in New York. In Los Angeles, the Police Department’s “strict policies” for Spot’s use would ensure “we don’t abuse it, so we can avoid confrontations and stuff with people who don’t want to be arrested,” he said. As with the department’s drones, its use must be approved by the deputy chief of the counter terrorism bureau, and the police chief must be notified.
“This isn’t about perception; it isn’t about how it looks. It’s about saving lives of the public and saving the lives of police officers and saving the lives of suspects, some of whom are severely mentally ill and are severely in drug stupors,” he said. “There’s no missiles attached to it, and there’s not secret chemicals attached to it.”In a Twitter thread, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez wrote that the robot’s deployment in New York “isn’t just disturbing, it’s deeply unjust.
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