“It will not record audio, and it will not use facial recognition,”…
YET
The NYPD does not own the robot, Adams said, but is in fact leasing it from the Knightscope company…
A company which I’m sure is 100% ethical, and has no ulterior motives whatsoever.
I don’t believe for half a second that it’s not going to use facial recognition and record everything. What they mean is that those recordings won’t be available for public review when the thing messes up and harasses people who are just going about their day.
"I’m hoping you’re going to put a line in your story about how cost-efficient I am,” he continued. “This is below minimum wage. No bathroom breaks, no meal breaks. This is a good investment, so please make sure that’s added to the story, okay?” [the mayor said]
The mayor was enthusiastic about the cost-effectiveness of the robot. “I want you guys to be extremely creative in your writing style to say ‘Eric, job well done,’” he told reporters.
This guy is special, isn’t he…
The whole article basically lights it as a waste of money, since “[the police robot’s] effectiveness is unclear”, how there’s “no public evidence about actual crime reduction”, and how the “robot [needs] to be accompanied by a human officer at all times”, negating the need for the robot altogether.
The NYPD will do literally anything and everything they can to make sure cops don’t actually work. 
However, the K5 does have a button that connects you immediately to a live person, that New Yorkers can utilize 24-7, with questions, concerns, or to report an incident if needed
So security cameras and one of those blue light emergency intercom things.
That might be handy if we didn’t already live in a day and age where everyone is carrying a device that can put them in touch with a live person 24-7.
It’s not literally everyone, and people do have batteries die. I’m all for putting those call stations at regular intervals in public transit and other areas where it’s plausible they’d be used.
I’m less sure the utility of serving the same functionality, but with a much more expensive robot. Realistically the entire purpose is to normalize people to seeing them as police officers, and I’m skeptical that that’s a positive.
“I cannot deactivate until you tell me you are satisfied with your police harassment.”
